JUDA'S    JEWELS 


A  STUDY  IN 


THE   HEBREW   LYRICS 


BY 


NOAH  K.  DAVIS,  PH.D.,  LL.D. 

Professor  in  tfie  University  of  Virginia 


NASHVILLE,  TENN. 

PUBLISHING  HOUSE  OF  THE  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH,  SOUTH 

BARBEE  &  SMITH,  AGENTS 

1895 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1895, 

BY  NOAH  K.  DAVIS, 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


PREFACE 

THE  chief  aim  of  this  work  is  to  indicate  some  of  the  rhe- 
torical graces  of  the  Hebrew  lyrics.  A  large  number  are 
quoted  in  full,  carefully  annotated,  and  followed  by  a  general 
exposition.  Besides  this  endeavor  to  make  clear  the  true 
meaning  and  force  of  the  text,  I  have  thought  it  needful,  in 
order  to  its  higher  appreciation,  to  give  the  probable  historical 
setting  of  each  lyric,  to  depict  vividly  the  scene,  and  thus  to 
bring  into  relief  the  significance  of  many  figurative  expres- 
sions and  their  underlying  sentiment. 

In  the  translation  as  well  as  in  the  interpretation  I  have 
had  numerous  helps,  too  many  to  be  named,  in  standard  com- 
mentaries and  special  treatises,  English  and  foreign,  the  early 
and  the  later,  even  the  latest.  Ever  ready  to  modify  my  views, 
I  have  neglected  no  available  source  of  information ;  yet  the 
candid  reader  who  is  acquainted  with.the  voluminous  literature 
of  the  subject  will,  nevertheless,  accord  to  me  a  fair  measure  of 
independence.  The  renderings  have  been  compared  word  by 
word  with  those  of  the  Canterbury  Revision.  Being  in  hearty 
sympathy  with  its  reverence  for  the  classic  diction  of  the 
Authorized  Version,  I  have  not  deviated  from  one  or  the  other 
except  where  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  adopt  the  phraseology 
of  either.  In  appropriating  the  views  or  renderings  of  others 
I  have  not  always  been  careful  to  give  credit,  hoping  that  the, 

(3) 


4  PREFACE 

frequent  credit  given  and  this  general  acknowledgment  will 
be  deemed  sufficient. 

Much  pains  has  been  taken  to  present  to  the  eye  not  only 
the  parallelism  of  the  verses,  but  also  the  strophic  structure 
of  each  lyric.  Upon  the  strophic  forms  there  "is  as  yet  no  gen- 
eral consensus,  and  I  have  been  obliged,  with  little  or  no  help, 
to  venture  on  those  presented,  hoping  that  a  bold  essay  in  this 
direction  may  lead  to  approved  and  permanent  results.  The 
principles  guiding  me  in  the  formal  distribution  are  discussed 
in  the  seventh  chapter. 

The  work  was  begun  and  well-nigh  completed  with  no 
thought  of  publication,  but  it  is  now  issued  in  the  hope  of 
arousing  more  general  attention  to  the  unmatched  excellence 
of  this  marvelous  literature,  and  inducing  a  reverential  study 
of  its  many  graces.  The  subject  is  familiar  to  biblical  scholars 
and  ministers  of  religion,  so  that  I  hardly  expect  to  interest 
them;  but  I  am  sure  they  will  unite  with  me  in  the  wish  that 
laymen  who  love  the  Scriptures  may  find  the  little  book,  writ- 
ten by  one  of  themselves,  both  interesting  and  useful. 

To  Professor  Collins  Denny,  of  Vanderbilt  University,  I  am 
gratefully  indebted  for  kindly  approval,  for  helpful  criticism, 
and  for  the  several  valuable  notes  to  which  I  have  appended 
his  name.  NOAH  K.  DAVIS. 

University  of  Virginia. 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

I.  THE  PLAIN 9 

II.  THE  CAVERN 38 

III.  THE  DESERT 76 

IV.  THE  MOUNTAIN 1 19 

V.  THE  VALLEY 159 

VI.  VERSES 212 

VII.  STANZAS 255 

VIII.  LYRICS 300 

(5) 


David  the  son  of  Jesse 

The  man  who  was  raised  on  high 

The  anointed  of  the  God  of  Jacob 

The  sweet  psalmist  of  Israel 
(6) 


ANNOTATED  CITATIONS 

PSALMS.  PAGE 

II.  Why  do  the  nations  rage  ? 295 

VII.  O  Lord,  my  God,  in  thee  do  I  put  my  trust.. .     56 
VIII.  O  Lord,  our  Lord,  how  excellent  is  thy  name.     22 

XV.  Lord,  who  shall  abide  in  thy  tabernacle? 154 

XIX.  The  heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God 26 

XXIII.  The  Lord  is  my  shepherd;  I  shall  not  want...      18 

XXIV.  The  earth  is  the  Lord's.and  the  fullness  thereof.  148 
XXVII.  The  Lord  is  my  light  and  my  salvation 97 

XXIX.  Give  unto  the  Lord,  O  ye  mighty 35 

XXXI.  In  thee,  O  Lord,  do  I  put  my  trust 83 

XXXIV.  I  will  bless  the  Lord  at  all  times 70 

XXXIX.  I  said,  I  will  take  heed  to  my  ways 182 

XLII.  As  the  hart  panteth  after  the  water  brooks. . .    191 

XLIII.  Judge  me,  O  God,  and  plead  my  cause 194 

XLV.  My  heart  overflows  with  a  goodly  theme 324 

LI.  Have  mercy  upon  me,  O  God 165 

LVII.  Be  merciful  unto  me,  O  God 93 

LXVIII.  Let  God  arise,  let  his  enemies  be  scattered. . .    136 

XC.  Lord,  thou  hast  been  our  dwelling  place 308 

XCI.  He  thatdwelleth  in  the  covert  of  the  Most  High.  345 

XCV.  O  come,  let  us  sing  unto  the  Lord 285 

CI.  I  will  sing  of  mercy  and  judgment 125 

C7) 


8  CITATIONS 

PAGE 

CIV.  Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul 337 

CXXX.  Out  of  the  depths  have  I  cried  unto  thee 253 

CXXX VII.  By  the  rivers  of  Babylon 332 

CXXXIX.  O  Lord,  thou  hast  searched  me . .    203 

CXLII.  I  cried  unto  the  Lord  with  my  voice 66 

CXLIII.  Hear  my  prayer,  O  Lord 63 

2  SAMUEL. 

I.  Gazelleof  Israel,slain  on  thine  own  mountains.  114 
XXIII.  The  last  words  of  David,  the  son  of  Jesse 208 

(Other  citations  are  not  annotated?) 


JUDA'S  JEWELS 


I.-THE  PLAIN 

THE  most  ancient  of  all  songs  are  sweetest  and 
noblest  of  all.  The  first  in  time  are  the  first  in 
worth.  Poetry  is  an  art  which  accumulates,  but 
does  not  progress ;  or  rather  it  is  not  an  art,  since 
its  early,  untutored,  spontaneous  efforts  are  its 
best.  Centuries  before  Pindar,  before  Homer, 
there  was  a  bard  in  Judah  whose  songs  have  ever 
since  been  singing  by  millions  more  and  more,  and 
will  still  be  singing  when  all  others  are  forgotten. 
He,  the  Adam  of  song,  typical  of  mankind,  touched 
the  utmost  verge  of  every  possible  human  experi- 
ence; step  by  step  he  trod  all  paths  of  joy  and 
sorrow ;  one  by  one  he  traversed  all  avenues  to 
honor  and  dishonor;  and  he  wandered  from  boy- 
hood to  old  age,  harp  in  hand,  singing  all  the 
changeful  way  in  tones  that  echoing  hearts  will 
never  allow  to  die.  That  the  ear  may  catch  the 
divine  perfection  of  this  melody,  the  eye  must  see 
the  songster  where  he  stands.  Let  us  then  go 

(9) 


10  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

along  his  way,  and  when  he  stops  to  sing  we  too 
will  pause  with  listening  eyes  and  ears. 

§i.  David,  the  son  of  Jesse,  appears  first  as  a 
shepherd  boy  on  the  plains  east  of  Bethlehem. 
He  is  the  youngest  of  eight  brothers.  Two  elder 
sisters  are  also  named,  but  his  mother's  name  is 
nowhere  given.  The  great  prophet  and  judge, 
Samuel,  comes  to  their  home  at  Bethlehem  to  se- 
lect and  anoint  a  new  king  over  Israel.1  The  eld- 
est of  the  sons,  the  tall,  handsome,  and  haughty 
Eliab,  is  rejected;  and  so  successively  the  others. 
And  Samuel  said  unto  Jesse:  "  The  Lord  hath  not 
chosen  these.  Are  here  all  thy  children?"  David 
is  sent  for.  He  comes ;  a  handsome  lad,  of  rather 
short  stature,  in  contrast  with  Eliab,  ^Saul,  and 
Goliath;  but  his  frame  is  compacted  for  both 
agility  and  strength.  Thus  he  says  of  himself: 

It  is  God  that  girdeth  me  with  strength. 
He  maketh  my  feet  like  hinds'  feet ; 
He  teacheth  my  hands  to  war, 
And  mine  arms  to  bend  the  brazen  bow.2 

His  dress  is  probably  a  simple  frock,  leaving  his 
neck  and  arms  bare,  girdled  about  the  waist,  and 
reaching  his  knees.  His  hair  is  auburn,  his  eyes 

1 1  Samuel  xvi. 

'Psalm  xviii.  32-34.  Achilles  is  called  ir<5<5af  w/rf»c. — /?.,  i.  58. 
We  are  also  reminded  of  the  bow  that  Ulysses  left  at  Utica. 


THE  PLAIN  1 1 


beautiful  and  bright,  his  complexion  ruddy  with  the 
flush  of  youth  and  health.1  "And  the  Lord  said: 
Arise,  anoint  him,  for  this  is  he."  So  the  symbolic 
oil  is  poured  upon  his  head,  and  the  Spirit  of  the 
Lord  came  upon  David  from  that  day  forward. 

We  will  presume  that  David  returned  for  a  time 
to  the  care  of  his  sheep.  His  anointing,  viewed 
merely  as  an  objective  fact,  must  have  had  a  pow- 
erful effect  in  developing  his  character.  We  may 
doubt  if  he  fully  understood  its  import  until  long 
afterwards,2  but  not  that  the  mystery  was  food  for 
his  wondering  thought.  His  peaceful  and  solitary 
pursuit  promoted  reflection,  and  as  he  pondered  his 
destiny  the  currents  of  his  thought  deepened  their 

channels. 

Muse  amid  thy  flocks  awhile, 

At  thy  doom  of  greatness  smile, 
Bold  to  bear  God's  heaviest  load, 
Dimly  guessing  at  the  road.8 

When,  moreover,  we  remember  that  the  Spirit 
of  the  Lord  was  now  upon  him,  it  is  evident  that 
this  was  a  great  epoch  in  his  mental  history,  and 
the  true  beginning  of  his  wonderful  career. 

Another  fact  must  have  made  a  deep  mark  on 


!See  Stanley,  Lectures  on  the  Jewish  Church,  Lecture  xxii. 
2Josephus  says  that  Samuel  whispered  it  in  his  ear. — Ant., 
vi.8,§i. 

'Lyra  Apostolica,  Ivii. 


1 2  JUDA  '5  JE  WRLS 

his  character.  By  his  father  and  brothers  he  was 
disdainfully  consigned  to  a  menial  occupation,  and 
it  became  the  subject  of  taunt.1  Endowed  with  a 
highly  sensitive  nature,  he  felt  this  keenly.  But 
the  exclusion  from  the  family  circle,  the  humil- 
iation, the  mortification,  however  bitter  to  the 
lonely  lad,  became  in  his  healthful  mental  organi- 
zation, and  doubtless  under  the  influence  of  the 
Spirit,  a  means  of  discipline  and  strength,  of  self- 
mastery.  The  sculptor  has  blunt  chisels,  which, 
under  heavy  blows,  break  off  rude  masses  of  mar- 
ble, but  he  also  has  sharp  chisels,  with  which  he 
perfects  his  work. 

David's  mother  no  doubt  was  in  sympathy  with 
him.  That  there  were  strong  points  in  her  charac- 
ter may  be  surmised  from  Jesse's  apparent  weak- 
ness and  the  unquestionable  powers  of  her  chil- 
dren. Her  youngest  was  naturally  her  darling, 
and  so  she  called  him,  for  the  name  "David" 
means  "  beloved."  As  a  faithful  mother  she  had 
in  early  years  taught  him  many  lessons  of  love  and 
duty.  Kneeling  at  her  knees,  with  his  palms  to- 
gether and  upraised,  he  had  learned  from  her  the 
name  "Jehovah;"  and  when  he  was  driven  out  to 
hard  service  and  solitude,  her  tears  softened  him, 
her  love  went  with  him  and  animated  him,  and  he 

*i  Samuel  xvii.  28. 


THE  PLAIN  13 

remembered  and  practiced  the  lessons  of  her  piety. 
What  matters  it  that  we  know  not  her  name  ?  She, 
type  of  the  virgin  mother,  is  immortal  in  her  son.1 
It  seems  to  me  we  may  often  note  in  David's  con- 
duct, even  in  late  periods  of  his  life,  the  unmis- 
takable marks  of  his  mother's  hand,  especially  in 
his  generous,  gentle,  and  kindly  impulses;  yet 
never  does  he  name  her,  and  only  once  refers  to 
her.  In  an  agony  of  prayer  he  cries,  "Save  the 
son  of  thine  handmaid;"  thus  resting  his  plea  on 
her  desert.2  But  why  this  reticence  ?  In  every  true 
man's  heart  there  are  some  things  too  sacred  for  ut- 
terance ;  there  is  an  inviolable  inner  shrine.  A  moth- 
er's name  is  never  a  light  thing.  A  man  of  deep  and 
fine  feeling,  as  was  this  man,  does  not  at  anytime 
talk  much  about  his  mother,  and  when  death  adds 
its  sanctity,  how  the  heart  shuts  up  on  her  name ! 
Another  fact  is  worthy  of  note  as  making  an  im- 
press on  David's  character  in  his  early  youth.  He 
was  thrown  into  constant  communion  with  nature. 
Her  sweet  and  healthful  influences,  her  gentle  and 
stern  aspects  developed  his  strength,  deepened  his 
emotions,  and  peopled  his  fancy.  The  plains  of 
Bethlehem,  which  for  three  thousand  years  have 

1The  earlier  rabbis  attempt  to  establish  the  immaculate  con- 
ception of  David. 

z  Psalm  Ixxxvi.  16.  Cf.  verse  16  of  Psalm  cxvi.,  a  post-exilic 
imitative  composition. 


14  JUDA  \S  JE  WELS 

been  sheep  pastures,  are  remarkable  for  landscape 
beauty,  a  beauty  that  must  have  been  far  greater 
in  David's  day,  when  foliage  was  more  abundant 
there  than  now.     There  he  learned  to  love  the  sky, 
the  mountain,  the  distant  sea,  the  brawling  brook, 
the  green  field,  the  perfumed  flower.     There  he 
took  his  first  lessons  in  that  various  language  of 
nature  with  which  his  poetry  abounds ;  for 
To  him  who,  in  the  love  of  nature,  holds 
Communion  with  her  visible  forms,  she  speaks 
A  various  language ;  for  his  gayer  hours 
She  has  a  voice  of  gladness,  and  a  smile 
And  eloquence  of  beauty,  and  she  glides 
Into  his  darker  musings  with  a  mild 
And  healing  sympathy  that  steals  away 
Their  sharpness  ere  he  is  aware.1 

But  there  were  frowns  in  the  landscape  whose 
features  were  symbolic  of  his  life.  Before  him, 
in  the  dim  eastern  distance  where  earth  met  sky, 
there  lay  in  a  deep  valley  of  gloom  the  sea  that 
was  for  all  time  the  emblem  of  death  and  God's 
hate  of  sin.  Nearer,  stretching  north  and  south, 
lay  the  haunted  wilderness,  which  afterwards  over- 
heard the  great  temptation,  already  occupied  by 
ferocious  beasts  that  came  thence  like  emissa- 
ries of  Satan  to  ravage  the  flocks,  In  the  lower 

i  Bryant,  Thanatopsis. 


THE  PLAIN  15 

grounds  were  horrible  pits  of  slime  and  springs  of 
bitter,  poisoned  waters.  Still  nearer  were  abrupt 
precipices  pierced  with  gloomy  unknown  caves, 
the  refuge  of  crime.  The  edge  of  the  cliffs  was 
broken  here  and  there  by  ravines  leading  from  the 
plains  above,  deepening  dangerously  and  filled 
with  the  shadow  of  death.  But  as  yet  his  feet  trod 
the  green  and  sunny  slope,  and  flowers  bloomed  on 
the  pathway  leading  from  the  home  of  his  birth. 

Let  us  remember  that  David  was  a  poet  and  a 
musician  born.  Probably  untaught,  he  cultivated 
for  himself  the  native  impulse  to  pour  forth  in  song 
the  overflow  of  his  heart,  beguiling  his  lonely  and 
quiet  hours  with  a  harp  which  he  invented,  and, 
after  a  rude  fashion,  had  made.1  Thus  he  attuned 
both  melody  and  harmony  with  verse. 

The  fame  of  his  harp  went  beyond  Bethlehem, 
and  reached  the  court  at  Gibeah.2  He  is  sent  for 
to  play  before  the  king.  He  goes  afoot,  like  the 
mediaeval  minstrel,  his  harp,  muffled  with  lilies, 
hanging  from  his  shoulders.  Its  sweet  tones, 
drawn  out  by  the  native  skill  of  a  loving  hand, 
soothe  the  dark  hours  of  the  fierce  and  gloomy 
king,  and  quiet  the  evil  spirit  that  troubled  him, 


1Amos  vi.  5,  They  "  that  chant  to  the  sound  of  the  viol,  and 
invent  to  themselves  instruments  of  music,  like  David," 
1 1  Samuel  xvi.  18. 


1 6  JUDA  'S  JB  WELS 

thus  "lifting  Saul's  name  out  of  sorrow,  and 
weaving  a  spell  to  sustain  him  where  song  had  re- 
stored him."1  When  David  returned  to  his  home 
we  do  not  see  that  he  was  at  all  elated  by  this 
brilliant  episode  in  his  boy  life.  Still  we  must  be- 
lieve that  it  quickened  his  thoughts  like  wine.  He 
was  not  yet  a  man,  but  his  manhood  was  rapidly 
developing.2 

§2.  Let  us  think  of  David  now  as  returned 
from  court  to  the  plains,  resuming  his  peaceful 
pursuits,  tending  the  sheep,  musing  on  nature, 
playing  the  harp,  and  singing  his  own  songs  out 
of  a  fresh,  innocent,  impulsive,  boyish  heart.  Let 
us  try  to  picture  the  scene :  The  sun  is  near  me- 
ridian. Sunken  in  the  deep  blue  of  the  oriental 
sky,  he  sheds  from  the  center  of  the  dome  his 
golden  glories  down  to  the  far  horizon.  The  gay 
green  fields  respond.  They  sparkle  and  almost 
glow  with  brilliance.  These  sunlit  pastures  lie  east- 
ward from  Bethlehem  on  the  table-land  which 
just  beyond  breaks  precipitously  down  to  the 


1  From  Browning's  Saul,  the  gem  of  his  Dramatic  Lyrics,  and 
inferior  to  nothing  he  has  written. 

'There  is  an  old  and  curious  tradition  that  David  was  very 
small,  but  that  after  Samuel  anointed  him  he  grew  rapidly,  arid 
soon  reached  the  stature  of  Saul.  Hence  Saul's  armor  fitted 
him  when  he  was  making  ready  to  fight  the  giant.  (See  Bar- 
ing-Gould's O.  T.  Legends,  p.  319.) 


THE  PLAIN  17 

valley  of  the  Jordan  and  the  sea.  The  watered 
meadows  of  this  lower  level  are  reached  by  deep 
ravines  breaking  through  the  cliff  that  overhangs 
the  valfey.  David  leads  his  sheep  from  the  pas- 
tures above  into  one  of  these  to  seek  the  meadows. 
The  ravine  is  a  narrow,  dark,  and  gloomy  valley. 
There  are  dangerous  precipices  to  skirt,  and  steep 
descents  to  make.  But  he  leads  in  the  right  paths, 
and  guides  with  his  shepherd's  crook  the  silly 
sheep,  watchful  to  catch  and  save  the  one  whose 
feet  may  slide.  They  follow  trustfully,  and  by 
the  good  shepherd's  care  reach  and  traverse  the 
depths  in  safety,  and  very  soon  emerge  from  the 
dark  shadow  into  the  sunny  meadows.  Here  he 
makes  them  lie  down  to  rest  in  the  cool  grass,  be- 
neath the  tamarisk  shade,  nigh  to  the  quiet  stream 
hindered  by  rushes.  He  is  seated  on  a  rock, 
watchfully  near,  for  the  great  wilderness  is  hard 
by,  and  once  there  came  a  lion  out  of  the  wood 
and  seized  a  lamb  of  the  flock.  But  David  smote 
him,  and  slew  him,  and  delivered  the  lamb.1  Now 
he  watches,  that  his  sheep  may  feast  and  rest  se- 
curely in  the  very  presence  of  their  enemies. 

David's  mother,  as  I  think,  had  taught  him  to 
offer  habitually  at  set  times  praise  and  prayer  to 
Jehovah.  He  made  a  rule.2  It  is  this: 

i  Samuel  xvii.  34,  35.  2  Psalm  Iv.  17. 

2 


1 8  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

Evening,  morning,  and  at  noon  will  I  pray  and  cry  aloud  ; 
And  he  shall  hear  my  voice. 

The  midday  season  has  now  come.  He  thinks 
of  the  anointing,  and  of  the  generous  king  at 
whose  court  he  was  recently  a  guest,  with  perhaps 
a  presage  of  danger;  then  of  God's  love,  and 
bounty,  and  protecting  care.  He  takes  his  harp 
in  his  hand  to  sing.  Music  and  poetry  are  the 
wings  of  his  devotion.  Hear  his  noonday  song: 

The  LORD  is  my  shepherd ;  I  shall  not  want. 

i 

He  maketh  me  to  lie  down  in  green  pastures ; 
He  leadeth  me  beside  the  still  waters. 
He  restoreth  my  soul ;  [name's  sake. 

He  guideth  me  in  the  paths  of  righteousness  for  his 

ii 

Yea,  though  I  walk  through  the  valley  of  the  shadow 
I  will  fear  no  evil ;  [of  death, 

For  thou  art  with  me ; 
Thy  rod  and  thy  staff  they  comfort  me. 

NOTES. — The  first  line  announces  the  general  subject. 
Shepherd  applies  more  particularly  to  strophes  i  and  2;  and  I 
shall  not  want,  to  strophe  3.  The  psalm  begins  and  ends  with 
Jehovah  (LORD),  not  elsewhere  named. 

Strophe  i. — Jehovah  refreshes  and  guides. — leadeth  ;  in  the 
East  flocks  are  not  driven,  but  led. — the  paths  are  straight,  right, 
direct. — for  his  name's  sake,  not  for  any  desert  of  mine. 

Strophe  a. — Jehovah  protects  and  comforts. — the  valley;  re- 


THE  PLAIN  Ip 

III 

Thou  preparest  a  table  before  me  in  the  presence  of 
Thou  hast  anointed  my  head  with  oil ;  [mine  enemies ; 
My  cup  runneth  over.  [of  my  life ; 

Surely  goodness  and  mercy  shall  follow  me  all  the  days 
And  I  will  dwell  in  the  house  of  the  LORD  forever. 

A  few  general  remarks  upon  this  delicious  lit- 
tle pastoral  lyric  before  passing.  It  is  the  familiar 
Psalm  xxiii.,  which  we  all  got  by  heart  when  we 
were  children,  but  I  doubt  if  any  of  us  have  yet 
exhausted  it. 

Observe  the  arrangement  in  parallel  lines,  and 
the  distribution  into  three  strophes  or  stanzas,  each 

member  Bunyan's  allegorical  expansion  of  this  figure.  The 
brevity  of  the  second  and  third  lines  renders  them  emphatic. 
Omit  art.  The  rod  to  defend;  the  staff  to  support.  We  have 
here  the  first  direct  expression  of  the  religious  idea  of  a  shep- 
herd, which  has  taken  so  deep  root  in  the  heart  of  Christendom. 
For  rod  DeWitt  puts  scepter;  Cheyne,  club. 

Strophe  j. — The  guest  of  Jehovah.  A  change  of  figure ;  the 
transition  is  in  the  first  line,  which  may  be  referred  to  the  shep- 
herd protecting  his  sheep  at  pasture,  or  to  what  follows,  the 
roj'al  host  making  a  feast. — oil,  the  symbol  of  grace. — cup,  the 
symbol  of  joy. — goodness  and  mercy  are  personified;  the  twin 
guardian  angels,  who  will  never  forsake  him  during  all  this 
present  life.  But  his  aspirations  rise  higher; — forever  is  a  flash 
of  light  from  the  eternal  world,  a  glimpse  of  immortality. 
Thus  the  song  begins  on  earth,  and  ends  in  heaven.  Faith 
awakens  Hope,  who,  with  the  golden  key  of  promise,  unlocks 
and  throws  open  the  gates  of  everlasting  bliss,  and  as  the 
eye  of  Love  gazes  into  its  limitless  expanse,  her  lips  cry  out 
forever. 


20  JUDA  VS  JE  WELS 

containing  a  complete  thought,  the  whole  being  pre- 
ceded by  an  independent  line  giving  the  subject. 
This  highly  artistic  form  is  almost  wholly  obscured 
in  our  common  version,  as  usually  printed,  and  in 
no  arrangement  that  I  have  seen  is  it  properly  ex- 
hibited. 

The  title  is:  A  Psalm  of  David.1  Its  historical 
place  has  been  disputed.  Biblical  critics  very 
generally  allow  its  Davidic  authorship,  but  refer 
it  in  turn  to  almost  every  period  of  David's  life. 
As  these  authorities  differ  so  widely,  we  may  think 
for  ourselves.  Its  freshness  and  simplicity,  the 
vivid  figures  from  nature,  its  childlike  faith,  the 
absence  of  the  warrior,  the  outlaw,  and  the  king, 
and  more,  the  entire  absence  of  any  conscious- 
ness of  sinfulness  —  all  are  good  grounds  for  refer- 
ring it  to  David's  youth.  The  chief  reasons  for 
assigning  it  to  a  later  period  are  founded  on  the 
mention  of  his  enemies  and  of  the  house  of  Jeho- 
vah. Let  us  observe  that,  beth  [house]  in  early 
Semitic  usage  is  any  lodging  place  ;  e.  g.  J3eth-el, 
Genesis  xxviii.  19.  Moreover,  may  not  both  be 
anticipations?  The  latter  one  is  expressly  future. 
We  may  add  that  the  figure  of  the  guest  of  a  king 
(strophe  3)  would  readily  suggest  itself  to  one  who 
had  recently  been  actually  entertained  at  court. 
But  our  historical  view  is  not  essential  to  its  high- 
est beauties.  It  is  a  gem  not  needing  a  setting,  or 
rather,  a  fixed  star  shining  by  its  own  light. 


titles  prefixed  to  a  majority,  nearly  three-fourths,  of  the 
psalms  are  very  ancient;  being  found  in  the  Septuagint  Ver- 
sion, which  dates  from  the  third  century,  B.C.  They  are  not, 
however,  considered  of  equal  authority  with  the  text.  The 
critics  pronounce  some  of  them  incorrect.  About  this  one,  how- 
ever, there  should  be  no  doubt  —  the  psalm  is  David's. 


THE  PLAIN  21 


§3.  Let  us  now  pursue  our  fancies.  The  noon- 
day devotions  are  over.  The  afternoon  is  pass- 
ing. David  leads  his  flock  up  again  to  the  higher 
ground,  to  a  more  secure  place  nearer  Bethlehem. 
The  sun  sets,  night  is  coming  on,  and  the  voice- 
less stars  are  looking  down  from  heaven.  David 
has  gathered  his  sheep  together  on  the  spot  where 
a  thousand  years  afterwards  shepherds  were  watch- 
ing their  flocks  by  night  and  the  starry  angels 
came  singing  down  from  heaven,  announcing  the 
advent  of  the  Good  Shepherd,  of  whom  David 
was  the  unconscious  type.1 

The  hour  for  his  evening  devotions  is  at  hand. 
The  calm  but  brilliant  glories  of  an  oriental  night 
fill  his  soul  with  sweet  solemnity.  He  has  not  yet 
lost  the  instinct  of  childish  innocence  that  finds 
God  in  everything.  "Blessed  are  the  pure  in 
heart;  for  they  shall  see  God."  So  his  heart  bows 
before  the  manifest  Presence,  and  his  eyes  drink 
the  luster  of  his  jewels;  for  night  is  God's  crown. 
And  when  the  full-orbed  moon  rises  over  the 
heights  of  Abarim  and  mounts  the  sky,  he  adores 
the  Creator  who  has  set  his  glory  upon  the  heav- 
ens. He  feels  that  it  is  given  to  him,  though  a 
mere  babe  in  knowledge,  to  lift  up  a  voice  of  per- 


1Lukeii.  8ff.;  John  x. 


2  2  JUDA  \S  /£  WELS 

fected  praise  which  shall  confound  those  that 
deny  the  excellent  name  of  the  Lord  of  the  heav- 
ens and  the  earth.  Yet,  he  reflects,  how  insig- 
nificant am  I !  But  no ;  for  God  made  man  in  celes- 
tial mold,  and  appointed  him  to  rule  the  world. 
Aroused  by  this  inspiring  thought,  he  touches  his 
lyre,  and  night  and  the  silent  stars  listen  to  his 
evening  hymn: 

O  LORD,  our  Lord,  how  excellent  thy  name  in  all  the 
Who  hast  set  thy  glory  upon  the  heavens.  [earth ! 

i 

Out  of  the  mouth  of  babes  and  sucklings 
Hast  thou  established  strength, 
Because  of  thine  adversaries, 
That  thou  mightest  still  the  enemy  and  the  avenger. 


NOTES. — The  first  distich  is  a  proem,  an  overture  involving 
the  theme,  and  expressing  the  occasion  of  devotion.  We  omit 
is  of  the  A.  V.  and  R.  V.,  as  needless  and  a  blemish. 

Strophe  i.  The  first  and  fourth  lines  are  antithetically  paral- 
lel. There  is  a  depreciating  allusion  of  the  singer  to  himself. 
Perhaps  his  exorcism  of  the  evil  spirit  from  Saul  suggested  the 
thought.  But  the  best  possible  comment  is  found  in  the  fol- 
lowing words:  "And  when  the  chief  priests  and  scribes  saw 
the  wonderful  things  that  he  did,  and  the  children  crying  in  the 
temple,  and  saying,  Hosanna  to  the  Son  of  David!  they  were 
sore  displeased,  and  said  unto  him,  Hearest  thou  what  these 
say?  And  Jesus  saith  unto  them,  Yea;  have  ye  never  read, 
Out  of  the  mouth  of  babes  and  sucklings  thou  hast  perfected 


THE  PLAIN  23 

II 

When  I  consider  thy  heavens,  the  work  of  thy  fingers, 
The  moon  and  the  stars  which  thou  hast  ordained ; 
What  is  man  that  thou  art  mindful  of  him  ? 
And  the  son  of  man,  that  thou  visitest  him  ? 

in 

For  thou  hast  made  him  but  little  lower  than  the  angels, 
And  crownest  him  with  glory  and  honor ; 
Thou  madest  him  to  have  dominion  over  the  works  of 

[thy  hands. 

IV 

Thou  hast  put  all  under  his  feet ; 
All  sheep  and  oxen,  yea  and  the  beasts  of  the  field  ; 
The  fowl  of  the  air,  and  the  fish  of  the  sea, 
Whatsoever  passeth  through  the  paths  of  the  seas. 

O  LORD,  our  Lord,  how  excellent  thy  name  in  all  the 

[earth ! 


praise?"  (Matthew  xxi.  15,  16.)  The  quotation  of  our  Lord  is 
made  from  the  Septuagint. — avenger,  rather  revenger,  one  who 
avenges  himself;  one  violent  and  arrogant. 

Strophe  2.  Note  the  marvelous  beauty  of  the  English  diction 
here.  Cf.  Psalm  cxliv.  3. 

Strophe  j.  Than  the  angels,  rather,  than  deity.  The  whole 
strophe  is  an  echo  of  Genesis  i.  26,  28.  Man  is  God's  vicege- 
rent. See  also  Hebrews  ii.  6,  and  i  Corinthians  xv.  27. 

Strophe  4  is  an  expansion  of  the  last  line  of  strophe  3.  We 
omit  things  of  the  A.  V.  and  R.  V. — sheep  and  oxen,  the  do- 
mestic animals,  small  and  great. — beasts  of  the  field,  wild  ani- 


24  JUDA  »S  JE  WELS 

This  is  the  beautiful  and  profound  Psalm  viii. 
We  should  read  it  by  moonlight.  Spurgeon  calls 
it  "the  song  of  the  astronomer."  Its  subject  is, 
Man's  superior  dignity  as  conferred  by  Jehovah. 
The  title  attributes  it  to  David,  and  is  indisputable. 
The  historical  occasion  here  indicated  is,  in  gen- 
eral, that  assigned  to  it  by  Nachtigal,  Tholuck, 
Perowne,  and  other  good  critics;  the  reasons  are 
similar  to  those  given  for  the  place  of  Psalm  xxiii. 
The  thought  descends  from  the  heavens  to  the 
earth,  Christlike;  and  in  the  Epistle  to  the  He- 
brews ii.  5-8,  the  psalm  is  applied  to  Christ's  hu- 
miliation. Most  interpreters  regard  it  as  Messi- 
anic; if  so,  its  depths  are  immeasurable. 

If  we  study  closely  the  parallel  phrases,  and  the 
succession  and  relation  of  thoughts,  the  Psalm, 
after  we  have  set  apart  the  proem  and  epode, 
seems  to  fall  naturally  and  clearly  into  four  stro- 
phes of  four  lines  each,  excepting  strophe  3,  which 
has  but  three  lines.  Is  there  not  a  poetic  reason 
for  this  exception?  The  first  and  last  lines  of  this 
strophe  are  pretty  closely  parallel.  The  interme- 
diate one  does  not  seem  clearly  synonymous.  If 
there  were  a  line  parallel  to  this  beginning  the  stro- 
phe, then  it  also  would  be  a  quatrain,  having  the 
alternate  lines  parallel.  Now  look  at  the  sense: 
In  strophe  2  the  poet  sinks  into  despondency  at 
the  humiliating  thought  of  man's  comparative  in- 
significance. May  we  not  suppose  a  pause,  a  mo- 


mals;  always  the  meaning  in  Scripture  of  this  phrase. — what- 
soever, all  unknown  sea  monsters.     The  leviathan?  Job  xli. 

The  last  line  is  an  epode,  and  a  repetition  of  the  first.  Thus 
the  picture  is  set  in  a  frame  of  praise.  "  The  ends  are  wound 
together  as  a  wreath."  (Dclitzso..)  Jehovah  occurs  only  at  the 
beginning  and  at  the  close,  as  in  Psalm  xxiii. 


THE  PLAIN  25 

merit's  silent  meditation  in  the  very  middle  of  the 
song,  poetically  expressed  by  the  elision  of  a  line? 
Then  comes  a  sudden  rebound  of  feeling,  arous- 
ing the  singer  to  highest  exultation.  Observe  fur- 
ther that  the  illative  for  ('3)  can  make  no  proper 
connection  in  sense  with  what  precedes.  If  we 
disregard  the  illation  and  force  a  connection,  as  is 
done  in  the  versions  of  Conant,  Cheyne,  and  De 
Witt,  then  the  tone  of  depression  continues,  and 
sinks,  in  strophe  3,  lower  still;  thus  destroying 
one  chief  poetic  beauty  of  the  lyric,  the  sudden 
revulsion,  besides  leaving  strophe  4  standing  alone, 
almost  meaningless.  Let  us  rather  conceive  that 
for  connects  with  the  elided  thought,  which  the 
mind  of  the  reader  easily  and  naturally  supplies, 
something  like  this :  Yet  is  there  not  essential  and 
even  higher  dignity  in  man ?  Surely  there  is,  "for 
thou  hast  made  him,"  etc. 

When  the  sculptors  of  Italy  were  called  upon  to 
restore  the  lost  arm  of  the  Apollo  Belvidere  they 
declined;  but  at  last  Montorsoli  was  persuaded, 
after  long  study,  to  undertake  the  task.  It  was 
the  audacity  of  genius.  But  not  even  Milton 
would  dare  to  write  a  line  to  take  this  vacant 
place.  And  indeed  there  is  no  mutilation  here, 
but  a  poetical  enthymeme,  more  effective  and 
beautiful  than  any  expression. 

§  4.  Our  shepherd  boy,  we  will  now  imagine, 
having  finished  his  evening  devotions,  prepares 
for  rest,  saying: 

I  will  both  lay  me  down  in  peace,  and  sleep ; 
For  thou,  Lord,  only  makest  me  dwell  in  safety.1 

1  Psalm  iv.  8. 


26  JUDA  'SJ£  WELS 

His  young  blood,  his  vigorous  health,  his  duties 
arouse  him  in  the  early  morning  from  his  balmy, 
refreshing  sleep  in  the  pure  air  of  the  open  plain, 
and  his  first  thought  is : 

I  laid  me  down  and  slept ; 

I  awaked ;  for  the  Lord  sustained  me.1 

The  moon  and  the  stars  are  still  shining,  and  re- 
mind him  by  their  silent  eloquence  of  the  glory 
of  the  Creator,  and  by  their  westward  movement 
that  they  thus  speak  to  all  who  dwell  under  the 
canopy  of  the  sky.  But  the  glowing  flush,  rapidly 
spreading  upward  from  the  eastern  hills,  hastens 
him  to  his  morning  devotions.  He  tunes  afresh 
his  humble  lyre,  saying: 

My  voice  shalt  thou  hear  in  the  morning,  O  Lord ; 

In  the  morning  will  I  direct  my  prayer  unto  thee, 

And  will  look  up.2 

He  kneels  on  one  knee,  his  face  eastward,  his 
eyes  on  the  waning  stars.  He  sweeps  the  sound- 
ing strings,  and  his  morning  song  awakens  the 
sleeping  echoes  and  bids  farewell  to  night. 

i 

The  heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God  ; 

And  the  firmament  sheweth  his  handiwork. 

Day  unto  day  uttereth  speech, 

And  night  unto  night  sheweth  knowledge. 

1  Psalm  iii.  5.  *  Psalm  v.  3. 


THE  PLAIN  27 

II 

There  is  no  speech  nor  language, 
Where  their  voice  cannot  be  heard. 
Their  line  is  gone  out  through  all  the  earth, 
And  their  words  to  the  end  of  the  world. 


NOTES. — Strophe  i.  Celestial  objects  are  personified,  and  utter 
voices. — firmament,  expanse. — Day  unto  day;  a  chain  of  tra- 
dition. 

Strophe  2.  Theirs  is  not  a  language  that  cannot  be  heard — i.  e., 
understood  (Moll,  et  «/.).     Hence   it  would  be   better  to  read 
Whereby  instead  of  Where.     Translated  literally,  the  first  distich 
gives:  "No  speech  and  no  words  without  their  voice  heard." 
The  passage  has  been  very  variously  interpreted.     Many,  influ- 
enced perhaps  by  Where  (supplied  by  the  translators),  interpret 
speech    and   language   to    be   that   of    the    various    nations    in 
different  parts  of  the  earth.     So  Conant:  "W4pitever  maybe 
the  speech  or  language  of  the  people."     This  is  too  prosaic  for 
its    highly    figurative    surroundings,  the   bold   personifications. 
Moreover,  it    passes   awkwardly   from   the   utterances   of  the 
heavens  to  the  literal  speech  of  men,  and  then  back  again  to  the 
voices  and  words  of  nature.     How  much  better  that  the  lan- 
guage throughout  be  that  of  the  subject,  of   nature.     Others 
omit   Where,   as   the   Revised  Version,    which    reads:   "Their 
voice  cannot  be   heard."     Likewise  we    have  what   is   equiv- 
alent  in   "There  is   neither   speech    nor  language;  but   their 
voices  are   heard  among  them."     (Prayer  Book  version.}     So, 
also,  Ewald.     This  cuts  off  all  direct  connection  with  what  pre- 
cedes, and  with  what  follows,  and  the  passage  becomes  a  paren- 
thetical explanation,  very  prosaic,  trite,  and  superfluous,  that  the 
preceding  statement  is  not  literal  but  figurative.     This  view  is 
intolerable.     Cheyne  accepts  the  latter  interpretation,  but  re- 
jects the  distich  as  a  gloss. — line,  primarily  a  measuring  line; 


28  JUDA  '.S  JE  WELS 

Night  is  turning  into  day.  The  curtains  of  the 
eastern  heavens  unfold,  and  joyously  the  greater 
light  begins  his  appointed  course : 

in 

In  them  hath  he  set  a  tabernacle  for  the  sun, 
Which  is  as  a  bridegroom  coming  out  of  his  chamber, 
And  rejoiceth  as  a  strong  man  to  run  his  course. 
His  going  forth  is  from  the  end  of  the  heaven, 
And  his  circuit  unto  the  ends  of  it ; 
And  there  is  nothing  hid  from  the  heat  thereof. 

He  is  reminded  of  something  not  unlike  the  sun, 
but  higher  and  holier  than  he;  something  more 
animating  and  enlightening,  more  delightful  and 
pure,  more  stable  and  true.  And  he  sings: 

IV 

The  la\v  of  the  LORD  is  perfect,  restoring  the  soul ; 
The  testimony  of  the  LORD  is  sure,  making  wise  the 

[simple. 

The  precepts  of  the  LORD  are  right,  rejoicing  the  heart ; 
The  commandment  of  the  LORD  is  pure,  enlightening 

[the  eyes. 

hence,  rule  of  conduct,  precept,  decree.     (See  Romans  x.  18.) 
Strophe  3.  Sunrise. — tabernacle,  tent. — bridegroom,  reminds 

us  of  Christ. — strong   man,  hero    (Delitzsch). — his  circuit,  is 

from  one  horizon  over  to  the  other. 

Pagans  worshiped  the  sun,  but  here  he  disappears  in  the 

greater  light  of  God's  law. 


THE  PLAIN  29 

The  fear  of  the  LORD  is  clean,  enduring  forever; 
The  judgments  of  the  LORD  are  true,  and   righteous 

[altogether, 
v 

More  to  be  desired  are  they  than  gold,  yea,  than  much 

[fine  gold ; 

Sweeter  also  than  honey  and  the  drip  of  the  honeycomb. 
Moreover  by  them  is  thy  servant  warned  ; 
And  in  keeping  of  them  there  is  great  reward. 

But  oh,  who  can  keep  them?  David  is  not  con- 
scious of  overt  sin,  but  the  tight  of  God's  holy 
law  shining  down  into  his  heart  reveals — for  by 

Strophe  4.  A  eulogy  of  the  law.  The  writer  of  Psalm  cxix. 
has  expanded  it  into  one  hundred  and  seventy-six  verses. — re- 
storing, refreshing. — simple,  uneducated  and  docile. — Bishop 
Patrick  says:  The  law  is  the  whole  as  given  by  Moses;  testi- 
mony, the  law  relating  to  commemorative  observances — e.  g. 
the  passover;  precepts,  the  statutes  <sf  the  ceremonial  law  and 
positive  ordinances;  commandments,  the  moral  law,  the  Deca- 
logue; judgments,  the  civil  law.  (See  i  Kings  ii.  1-3.) — fear, 
is  probably  put  by  metonymy  for  such  precepts  as  regulate  pri- 
vate conduct.  There  are  twelve  eulogiums,  related  as  sump- 
tion and  conclusion,  inspiration  and  aspiration,  which  Martin 
Luther  compares  to  the  twelve  fruits  of  the  tree  of  life.  (Rev- 
elation xxii.  2.) 

Strophe  5.  The  last  line  of  strophe  4  contains  only  a  sump- 
tion, whose  conclusion  is  expanded  into  strophe  5.  The  judg- 
ments of  the  Lord  are  most  precious  and  most  sweet. — thy  serv- 
ant, personal  application  to  self. 


30  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

the  law  is  knowledge  of  sin — such  a  bewildering 
maze  of  desires  and  motives,  such  strong  impulses 
to  evil,  that  in  dismay  he  can  sing  no  more.  A 
sigh  breaks  from  him: 

VI 

Who  can  understand  his  errors? 

With  this  sigh,  the  hushed  harp  is  laid  aside  on 
the  soft  grass,  both  knees  are  bent,  the  palmed 
hands  upraised,  and  with  the  light  of  God's  sun 
shining  down  into  his  eyes,  and  with  the  brighter 
light  of  God's  love  shining  forth  from  his  eyes, 
the  dear  boy  prays — a  prayer  which  saints  have 
been  ever  since  repeating: 

VII 

Clear  thou  me  from  hidden  faults. 

Keep  back  thy  servant  also  from  presumptuous  sins ; 

Let  them  not  have  dominion  over  me ; 
Then  shall  I  be  perfect, 
And  I  shall  be  clear  from  great  transgression. 

VIII 

Let  the  words  of  my  mouth, 

And  the  meditation  of  my  heart, 

Be  acceptable  in  thy  sight, 

O  LORD,  my  rock,  and  my  redeemer. 


Strophe  7.  Hidden,  secret  sins  of  ignorance,  in  contrast  with 
— presumptuous,    purposed,    deliberate,    boastful    sins. — keep 


THE  PLAIN  31 

This  Psalm  xix.  is  David's  according  to  its  title, 
and  beyond  question.1  Its  historic  place  is  gen- 
erally admitted  to  be  in  his  early  life.  It  is  plainly 
a  sunrise  hymn.  The  subject  is,  The  glory  of 
God  as  manifest  in  his  works,  and  in  his  revealed 
will.  Says  Bacon:  "  The  heavens  declare  the  glo- 
ry, but  not  the  will  of  God;  this  is  known  only 
by  his  law."  We  might  perhaps  say  that  the  har- 
mony of  natural  and  revealed  religion  is  the  theme.2 

There  are  clearly  three  parts.     The  first  is  rich 

1  The  well-known  paraphrase,  "  The  spacious  firmament  on 
high,"  is  commonly  attributed  to  Addison,but  has  been  claimed 
also  for  one  Andrew  Marvel  (died  1678).     Let  him  have  it.     I 
am  glad  to  believe  that  the  author  of  Cato  was  not  guilty  of  the 
travesty.     See,  however,  Macaulay  in  the  Edinburgh  Rev^e^v, 
No.  Ixxviii.,  pp.  203,  211,  259. 

The  Prayer  Book  version  of  the  Psalter  is  taken  from  The 
Great  Bible,  published  in  1539,  which  was  a  revision  of  Mathew's 
by  Coverdale.  See  Westcott,  History  of  the  English  Bible,  p.  185 
margin,  and  pp.  74,  206. 

2  Kant   concludes    his    great    work    on   the    Metaphysic   of 
Ethics   (Kritik    der  praktiscJien     Vernunft — Beschluss)  with    a 
famous  peroration,  beginning:  "Two  things  there  are,  which, 
the  oftener  and  the  more  steadfastly  we  consider  them,  fill  the 
mind  with  an  ever  new,  an  ever  rising  admiration  and  rever- 
ence— the  STARRY    HEAVEN   above,  the    MORAL  LAW  -within" 
This  is  the  double  theme,  and  what  follows  is  an  unconscious 
expansion  of  David's   psalm.     Hamilton,  without  recognizing 
its  progenitor,  quotes  the  passage  at  length  in  three  several 
places  (Metaphysics,  pp.   28,  630,   and    Discussions,  p.  310),  say- 
ing: "I  do  not  know  a  better  example  of  the  sublime,  in  all 
its  three  forms."     The  two  productions  strikingly  contrast  the 
poet  and  the  philosopher,  the  boy  and  the  man,  the  heart  and 
the  head,  the  ancient  and  the  modern. 


back,  a  very  suitable  prayer  with  which  to  begin  a  day,  not 
knowing  what  it  may  bring  forth.  Lead  us  not  into  tempta- 
tion. 

Strophe  8.  Lord,  Jehovah,  seventh  time. — rock,  in  whose 
strength  only  can  I  keep  the  law. — redeemer,  deliverer  from 
the  guilt  and  consequence  of  breaking  the  law. 


3  2  JUDA  '5  JE  WELS 

in  natural  imagery;  the  second,  in  profound  doc- 
trine; the  last,  in  holy  emotion.  In  the  first  is 
God  the  creator;  in  the  second,  Jehovah  the  law- 
giver; in  the  third,  Jehovah  the  redeemer.  The 
difference  of  tone  and  rhythm  between  the  first  and 
second  parts  (strophes  i,  2,  3,  and  4,  5)  has  in- 
duced some  critics  (Ewald,  Koster,  DeWette, 
Cheyne,  and  the  higher  critics  generally)  to  pro- 
nounce them  independent  compositions,  most 
probably  by  different  authors.  But  the  change  of 
style  corresponds  finely  with  the  change  of  sub- 
ject, and  is  a  poetic  merit.  DeWitt's  view  ac- 
cords with  ours.  We  find  a  similar  change,  quite 
as  marked,  when  we  enter  upon  the  third  part 
(strophes  7,  8),  the  prayer.  The  line — for  it  can 
hardly  be  called  a  strophe — marked  vi,  stands  by 
itself,  and  expresses  the  transition  of  thought  and 
feeling  from  the  hymn  to  the  prayer.  Strophes  3 
and  4  are  each  double  tristichs,  containing  the 
chief  matter,  what  precedes  and  follows  being 
merely  accessory. 


§5.  Besides  his  appointed  hours,  we  may  well 
believe  that  other  occasions  moved  David  to  wor- 
ship. The  phenomena  of  the  firmament  seemed 
especially  to  fire  his  imagination;  the  peculiar 
bent  of  his  genius  was  upward.  Nature  in  her 
extraordinary  aspects  always  seems  to  us  a  near 
manifestation  of  the  Deity.  In  storms,  above  all, 
does  he  seem  immediately  present;  we  tremble  at 
his  wrath,  we  hear  his  voice,  we  almost  see  his  aw- 
ful form.  Storms  of  most  fearful  character  often 


THE  PLAIN  33 

break  over  the  region  of  Palestine.  Wilson  at 
Baalbec,  quoted  by  Tholuck,  says:  "  I  was  here 
overtaken  by  a  storm ;  it  came  down  in  a  moment, 
and  raged  with  fearful  fury.  A  horrible  darkness 
covered  the  whole  land,  all  the  floodgates  of 
heaven  seemed  at  once  opened,  the  rain  poured 
down  in  rivers  and,  dashing  along  the  sides  of  the 
mountains,  enveloped  everything  in  impenetrable 
mist  and  horror."  Dr.  Stewart,  in  a  similar  scene 
at  Sinai,  says:  "Every  thunderbolt  as  it  burst 
with  the  roar  of  a  cannon  seemed  to  awake  a  se- 
ries of  distant  echoes  on  every  side.  They  swept 
like  a  whirlwind  among  the  higher  mountains, 
becoming  faint  as.  some  mighty  peak  intervened, 
and  bursting  with  undiminished  volume  through 
some  yawning  cleft,  till  the  very  ground  trembled 
with  the  concussion." 

Such  scenes  could  not  fail  to  be  celebrated  by 
David.  Let  us  conceive  his  attention  caught  by 
the  signs  of  a  coming  tempest.  Having  hastily 
sheltered  his  flock,  he  climbs  a  rocky  eminence, 
and  taking  his  stand  aloft,  harp  in  hand,  appears 
against  the  blue  sky  like  a  statue  erected  to  poesy. 
Looking  far  northward  he  sees  the  dim  outline 
of  Lebanon  covered  with  forests  of  cedar,1  and  the 


1  These  mountains,  Stanley  and  Thomson  tell  us,  can  be  seen 
from  various  points  through  the  whole  extent  of  Palestine, 
3 


34  JUDA  '5  JE  WELS 

snowy  peak  of  Hermon.  Above  them,  in  mid- 
heaven,  there  is  an  ominous  gathering  of  dark 
clouds.  A  storm  is  about  to  sweep  from  the  north 
in  the  usual  course  through  the  Ghor,  the  valley 
of  Jordan,  and  through  the  wilderness,  even  to 
Kadesh  in  the  far  south.  But  the  poet's  eye, 
glancing  from  earth  to  heaven,  sees  in  the  clear 
cerulean  above  these  lowering  clouds  the  throne 
of  Jehovah,  and  a  host  of  mighty  angels,  clothed 
in  priestly  vestments,  preparing  for  a  special  serv- 
ice of  praise.  Roused  by  the  vision,  David 
sounds  his  lyre,  and  with  exalted  song  leads  the 
celestial  choir  in  the  hallelujah.  The  tempest 
spreads  its  black  wings,  shuts  out  the  cerulean, 
and  swoops  down.  Peal  after  peal  of  thunder, 
first  from  the  distant  mountains,  afterwards  along 
the  valley,  reverberates  with  a  thousand  shouting 
echoes  among  the  hills.  Amid  the  roar  of  the 
tempest,  David's  voice  of  praise  is  heard  mingling 
with  "the  voice  of  Jehovah"  (ever  the  childish 
name  for  thunder),  and  his  song  does  not  cease 
until  the  storm  has  swept  far  southward,  and  the 
rainbow  of  peace — God's  smile — beams  from  the 
retiring  cloud. 

Here  is  his  storm  song,  beginning  in  heaven — 
gloria  in  excehis — ending  on  earth — pax  in  terris; 


THE  PLAIN  35 

I 

Give  unto  Jehovah,  O  ye  sons  of  God, 
Give  unto  Jehovah  glory  and  strength. 
Give  unto  Jehovah  the  glory  of  his  name ; 
Worship  Jehovah  in  the  beauty  of  holiness. 

ii 

The  voice  of  Jehovah  is  upon  the  waters ; 
The  God  of  glory  thundereth, 
Even  Jehovah  upon  the  great  waters. 
The  voice  of  Jehovah  is  powerful ; 
The  voice  of  Jehovah  is  full  of  majesty. 

in 

The  voice  of  Jehovah  breaketh  the  cedars  ; 
Yea,  Jehovah  breaketh  in  pieces  the  cedars  of  Lebanon. 
He  maketh  them  also  to  skip  like  a  calf ; 
Lebanon  and  Sirion  like  a  young  buffalo. 
The  voice  of  Jehovah  cleaveth  out  flames  of  fire. 


NOTES. — Strophe  t.  The  proem,  an  overture.  It  sounds  the 
keynote  of  preparation  in  heaven,  and  reminds  us  of  the  pro- 
logue to  Job. — sons  of  God,  see  Job  i.  6. — beauty  of  holiness, 
holy  vestments. 

Strophe  2.  In  the  upper  sky. — waters,  the  lowering  clouds. 

Strophe  j.  In  the  far  north. — breaketh,  with  lightnings. — 
skip,  see  Psalm  cxiv.4. — Sirion,  Hermon;  the  Sidonians  called 
it  Sirion,  meaning  "  breastplate,"  suggested  by  its  rounded, 
snowy  summit  reflecting  the  sunlight. — buffalo,  wild  bull  of 
Bashan.  The  Scripture  unicorn  (A.  V.)  is  the  rhinoceros. — 
cleaveth  fire,  forked  lightning;  the  only  time  mentioned.  The 
construction  of  this  line  in  the  Hebrew  might  be  called  zigzag. 


36  JUDA  '5  JE  WELS 

.      IV 

The  voice  of  Jehovah  shaketh  the  wilderness ; 
Jehovah  shaketh  the  wilderness  of  Kadesh. 
The  voice  of  Jehovah  maketh  the  hinds  bring  forth, 
And  strippeth  the  forests  bare ; 
And  in  his  temple  everyone  shouts,  Glory ! 

v 

Jehovah  sat  enthroned  above  the  flood  ; 
Yea,  Jehovah  sitteth  King  forever. 
Jehovah  will  give  strength  unto  his  people ; 
Jehovah  will  bless  his  people  with  peace. 

This  Psalm  xxix.  is  ascribed  to  David  by  its 
title,  which  is  unquestionable.  There  is  nothing  to 
indicate  its  historic  place  except  its  style  of  youth- 
ful freshness  and  vigor.  Of  the  five  strophes,  the 
proem  and  epode  have  four  lines  each;  the  others, 
especially  descriptive  of  the  storm,  have  five  each. 
The  variations  in  the  parallelism  admitted  by  the 
pentastich  avoid  monotony  in  construction,  and 
thus  leave  the  fine  poetic  monotony  in  the  repeti- 

Strophe  4.  The  storm  is  moving  south. — Kadesh,  Numbers 
xiii.  26. — bring  forth,  prematurely  because  of  terror. — bare,  of 
foliage  and  branches,  by  wind  or  lightning. — his  temple,  or 
palace,  the  universe. — Glory,  the  reply  to  the  call  in  strophe  i. 
The  mountains,  by  their  echoes,  join  in  the  choral  anthem. 

Strophe  j.  The  epode  restores  calm  (no  more  thunder)  and 
ends  with  the  sweet  assurance  of  blessing  and  peace. — flood,  a 
reminiscence  of  that  great  judgment  (Ervald),  suggested  by  the 
deluge  of  rain  and  the  swelling  torrents. — forever,  the  God  of 
the  flood  is  still  King,  now  and  forever,  and  will  fulfill  his 
ancient  covenant. — peace,  the  bow  of  promise, 


THE  PLAIN  37 

tion  of  '•'  the  voice  of  Jehovah  "  to  its  full  unmin- 
gled  effect.  The  whole  arrangement  is  symmetrical 
and  artistic  in  the  highest  degree.  Our  deviations 
from  the  text  of  the  Authorized  Version  are  consid- 
erable, mostly  in  accordance  with  Conant,or  Moll, 
or  the  Revised  Version.  Jehovah  is  named  eighteen 
times;  in  the  body  of  the  psalm,  ten  times.  "The 
voice  of  Jehovah"  occurs  seven  times,  remind- 
ing us  of  the  seven  thunders  of  the  Apocalypse. 
(Revelation  x.  4.) 

The  psalm  is  only  secondarily  a  description  of  a 
storm.  The  storm  is  merely  an  occasion  for  a  call 
to  worship  and  trust  in  Jehovah.  Spurgeon  says: 
"  Rehearse  it  under  the  black  wing  of  the  tempest, 
by  the  gleam  of  the  lightning.  The  call  to  wor- 
ship chimes  in  with  the  loud-pealing  thunder,  which 
is  the  church  bell  of  the  universe,  ringing  kings 
and  angels,  all  the  sons  of  earth  and  of  heaven,  to 
their  devotions."  Among  all  the  hymns  to  Thor, 
or  to  thundering  Zeus,  where  is  its  equal  ?  Pindar, 
sublime  as  he  is,  has  no  ode  comparable  to  this. 


II.-THE  CAVERN 

§i.  IT  has  been  well  said  that  throughout  the 
Psalter  runs  a  threefold  cord  of  personal  experi- 
ence, of  sympathetic  utterances  on  behalf  of  hu- 
manity, and  of  Messianic  prophecy.  The  Psalter 
has  its  roots  in  the  events  of  David's  life.  In  the 
providence  of  God  his  life  was  varied  wonder- 
fully, so  that  his  songs  and  prayers  might  express 
every  phase  of  religious  feeling  which  can  move 
within  the  human  heart.  The  prophecy,  being 
unconscious,  was  more  exclusively  the  work  of 
the  Spirit. 

David  possessed  extraordinary  intellectual  gifts. 
Added  to  these  were  delicate  feelings,  as  sensi- 
tive to  passing  influences  as  the  bosom  of  the  sea 
to  a  zephyr's  breath,  but  readily  deepening  into 
stormy  impulses  so  profound  and  powerful  that  they 
would  have  overmastered  any  other  than  an  equal- 
ly great  will.  His  career  was  so  ordered  that  all 
these  powers  were  brought  to  their  fullest  devel- 
opment, and  tested  to  their  utmost  strength.  He 

was  destined  to  rise  in  early  life  to  the  height  of 
(38) 


THE  CAVERN  39 

youthful  ambition,  and  thence  to  be  degraded  to 
the  lowest  depths  of  humiliation  and  disgrace  that 
a  clear  conscience  can  know.  He  was  destined 
to  rise  thereafter  to  a  throne,  and  then  again  to  be 
minished  and  brought  low  through  affliction,  op- 
pression, and  sorrow,  to  know  the  anguish  of  be- 
reavement, the  pangs  of  violated  trust,  and  the 
sharper  serpent's  tooth  of  filial  ingratitude.  More- 
over, he  was  destined  to  holy  and  heavenly  com- 
munion with  God,  and  to  descend  from  this  lofti- 
est height  into  base  crime,  and  to  know  the  hell 
of  a  guilty  conscience;  thence  to  rise  by  grace 
at  last  to  perfect  peace  in  the  sweet  sense  of  a 
forgiveness  of  sins.  These  extreme  alternations, 
presenting  a  range  of  experiences  unparalleled  in 
recorded  history,  discovered  all  the  secret  depths 
of  his  nature.  His  changing  moods  and  passions, 
even  his  sin  and  crime,  which  with  their  swift  and 
fearful  punishment  form  a  domestic  tragedy  of 
rare  terror  and  pathos,  opened  fountains  of  humil- 
ity, of  comfort,  of  gratitude.  The  hand  of  God 
was  upon  him,  and  he  was  kneaded  like  dough 
preparing  for  the  oven.  The  providence  is  clear. 
He  was  to  learn  in  suffering  what  he  taught  in 
song.  Every  refreshing  stream  has  its  source  in 
a  smitten  rock.  It  pleased  the  Lord  to  bruise  him 
for  our  sake. 


40  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

The  words  of  David  while  he  was  being  made 
perfect  through  sufferings,  the  gold  and  silver  re- 
fined by  fire,  are  treasured  in  the  Psalter.  So  it 
is  that  every  man,  under  any  pressure  of  prosper- 
ity or  adversity,  in  any  phase  of  feeling,  may 
here  find  sympathy,  consolation,  instruction,  and 
strength  for  every  Godward  struggle.  The  ex- 
cellence of  the  Psalter  is  its  universality.  It  is, 
says  Luther,  "  the  manual  of  all  the  saints."  Here 
is  prayer,  or  praise,  or  penitence,  or  faith,  or  ado- 
ration, according  to  our  need.  Let  our  state  be 
what  it  may,  we  are  here  taught,  as  nowhere  else, 
how  we  may  approach  God  acceptably.  All  other 
books  of  the  Bible  are  the  words  of  God  addressed 
to  man,  in  law,  in  history,  in  prophecy,  in  exhorta- 
tion, and  in  doctrine.  In  this  we  have  the  words 
of  man  addressed  to  God — of  man  in  his  griefs 
and  fears,  doubts  and  hopes,  his  joys,  cares,  and 
anxieties — words,  too,  inspired,  so  that  we  know 
they  are  right  words,  moving  words,  acceptable 
words.  They  are  not  suited  to  one  age,  but  to 
all;  not  to  one  country,  but  to  all.  Every  new 
emergency  in  human  affairs  has  discovered  new 
mines  of  wealth  in  the  Psalter.  It  has  retained 
its  hold  on  the  veneration  and  affections  of  Jews 
and  Christians  alike.  However  devious  the  doc- 
trines of  the  Church,  its  songs  are  one.  All  war- 


THE  CAVERN  4! 

ring  sects  unite  in  harmonious  devotion.  How 
many  millions  of  all  peoples  are  to-day  singing 
these  songs  and  offering  these  prayers,  and  how 
is  their  influence  deepening  and  widening  as  the 
ages  roll  on ! 

David's  psalms  record  his  subjective  experi- 
ences. For  the  very  reason  of  this  entire  subjec- 
tivity do  they  need  to  be  illustrated  by  the  circum- 
stances that  gave  them  birth,  by  his  objective  ex- 
periences. Thus  only  can  we  have  sure  ground 
for  explicating  the  subtile  thoughts  and  occult  allu- 
sions to  facts,  and  to  account  for  and  interpret  the 
mass  of  feeling.  In  part  to  this  end  it  may  be 
that  his  is  the  longest  and  most  minute  biography 
in  the  Old  Testament.  Indeed,  it  may  properly  be 
said  we  have  two  histories  of  David,  one  of  his 
outward  life  as  recorded  in  the  books  of  Samuel, 
the  other  of  his  inward  life  as  recorded  in  the 
Psalter.  In  the  latter  his  heart  is  laid  bare  as  no 
other  heart  has  ever  been,  so  that  we  of  to-day 
may  know  him  more  intimately,  more  thoroughly 
than  we  know  anyone  that  lives  or  has  lived,  aye, 
more  than  we  know  ourselves.  But  to  attain  this 
we  need  the  light  of  objective  facts,  hence  the  spe- 
cial value  of  the  detailed  story  of  his  outer  life. 
Like  as  a  simple,  colorless  engraving  in  mere  out- 
line is  used  as  a  key  to  an  elaborate  painting,  so 


42  JUDAS  JEWELS 

the  sharp-cut  lines  of  the  prose  narrative  reveal  to 
us  the  chiefest  glories  and  depths  of  the  Psalter. 
Let  us,  then,  follow  David  in  his  first  rise  and  fall, 
that  we  may  better  understand  the  words  of  his 
mouth,  and  the  meditation  of  his  heart,  and  see 
how  tribulation  worketh  patience,  and  patience 
experience,  and  experience  hope,  and  hope  mak- 
eth  not  ashamed  because  the  love  of  God  is  shed 
abroad  in  his  heart. 

§  2.  The  hour  has  come  when  David  can  no 
longer  be  a  shepherd  lad  on  the  plains.  He  is 
drawn  into  public  life.1  The  Philistines  are  re- 
newing their  efforts  to  subjugate  Israel.  The  ar- 
mies encamp  against  each  other  about  fourteen 
miles  west  of  Bethlehem.2  Jesse's  elder  sons  are 
there,  and  the  old  man,  wishing  to  hear  the  news, 
sends  David  on  an  errand  to  them.  What  fol- 
lows is  well  known  to  every  child:  David's  spir- 
ited indignation  at  the  defiance  of  the  gigantic 
champion ;  the  quite  elder-brotherly  way  in  which 
Eliab  snubs  him;  the  calm,  gentle  reply,  showing, 
perhaps,  the  mother's  training,  but  showing  cer- 
tainly his  great  superiority  to  Eliab,  and  that  he 
had  already  conquered  and  kept  in  bonds  a 
stronger  than  Goliath — his  own  spirit.  Then 

1 1  Samuel  xvil.  2  At  Ephes-dammin — The  Bound  of 

Blood — i.  e.,  the  contested  frontier. 


THE  CAVERN  43 

comes  the  famous  duel,  the  overthrow  of  the 
giant,1  the  rout  of  the  enemy,  the  royal  audience, 
the  triumphant  march  to  the  capital,  the  songs  of 
the  women  who  came  out  to  meet  them  with  tim- 
brels and  dances.  Josephus  says  that  when  the 
matrons  sang,  "  Saul  has  slain  his  thousands,"  the 
maidens  responded,  "But  David  his  ten  thou- 
sands." This  is  quite  a  brilliant  bit  of  fancy  for 
the  dusty  old  Flavius.  However,  it  may  be  true; 
for  David,  when  the  giant  fell,  ceased  to  be  a  boy, 
entered  upon  his  manhood,  and  was  from  that  day 
and  forever  the  hero  of  Israel;  and  maiflens  on 


1  Cf.  the  victory  of  Odysseus  over  Polyphemus.  We  cannot 
forbear  to  note  here  a  curiosity  in  Hebrew  literature.  The 
number  of  the  canonical  psalms  is  one  hundred  and  fifty;  but 
in  the  Septuagint  version,  and  hence  in  the  Syriac,  Arabic,  and 
Ethiopic,  there  is  extant  another,  Psalm  cli.  Adam  Clarke's 
translation  of  it  is  as  follows: 

"A  psalm  in  the  handwriting  of  David,  beyond  the  number 
of  the  psalms,  composed  by  David  when  he  fought  in  single 

combat  with  Goliath. 

I 

I  was  the  least  among  my  brethren; 
And  the  youngest  in  my  father's  house; 
And  I  kept  also  my  father's  sheep. 

II 

My  hands  made  the  organ; 

And  my  fingers  jointed  the  psaltery. 
And  who  is  he  who  taught  me? 
The  Lord  himself,  he  is  my  master, 
And  the  hearer  of  all  that  call  upon  him. 


44  JUDA  *S  JJS  WELS 

such  occasions  are  prone  to  be  more  enthusiastic 
and  less  conservative  than  matrons. 

Soon  David  is  an  established  leader  in  Israel. 
He  is  placed  in  command  of  a  considerable  milita- 
ry force.  By  a  display  of  valor,  and  by  uniform 
success  in  numerous  expeditions,  he  confirms  his 
national  reputation,  and  becomes  the  popular  idol. 
He  is,  too,  a  recognized  member  of  the  court  of 
Saul.  Apparently  he  enjoys  the  highest  favor  of 

in 

He  sent  his  angel,  and  took  me  away  from  my  father's  sheep; 

And  anointed  me  with  the  oil  of  his  anointing. 

• 
My  brethren  were  taller  and  more  beautiful  than  I; 

Nevertheless  the  Lord  delighted  not  in  them. 

IV 

I  went  out  to  meet  the  Philistine, 
And  he  cursed  me  by  his  idols. 

I  cast  three  stones  at  him, 
* 
In  the  strength  of  the  Lord. 

I  smote  him  in  the  forehead, 

And  felled  him  to  the  earth. 
I  drew  out  his  own  sword  from  its  sheath, 

And  cut  off  his  head, 

And  took  away  the  reproach  from  the  children  of  Israel." 
/  This  morceau  is  very  ancient,  and  is  found  in  the  Codex 
Alexandrinus;  but  it  is  not  found  in  any  Hebrew  text.  It  is 
undoubtedly  spurious,  and  was  uniformly  rejected  by  the 
fathers,  and  by  the  councils  of  the  Christian  Church.  It  has 
not  a  particle  of  David's  genius,  is  thoroughly  vapid  and  flat, 
but  will  answer  a  good  purpose  here  in  showing  by  contrast 
the  excellence  of  his  genuine  productions. 


THE  CAVERN  45 

the  king,  and  Jonathan,  the  heir  apparent,  bestows 
on  him  the  confidence  of  most  ardent  friend- 
ship. With  all  this  he  seems  not  elated,  but  acts 
and  speaks  with  great  modesty  and  discretion. 
Thus  he  grows  in  wisdom,  and  in  favor  with  God 
and  man. 

Moreover,  there  was  a  beautiful  princess  at 
court,  the  younger  sister  of  Jonathan.  The  con- 
sequence is  obvious.  Here  was  a  handsome  young 
hero,  admired  by  everybody,  who,  in  addition  to 
his  other  knightly  accomplishments,  played  the 
harp  and  sang  delightfully.  Of  course,  love  and 
courtship,  and  the  princess  becomes  his  bride. 
Putting  all  together,  what  more  could  a  young 
man's  heart  desire?  It  seems  like  one  of  our 
fairy  tales,  where  everything  is  perfect — an  un- 
known, handsome  young  knight  kills  the  giant  that 
no  one  dared  to  fight,  delivers  the  kingdom,  takes 
command  of  its  army,  and  marries  the  king's 
daughter.  Imagination  can  .invent  nothing  more 
fascinating  to  youth,  and  hence  this  history  is  the 
common  stock  of  romances.  At  the  happy  culmi- 
nation, however,  our  story  books  stop;  but  this 
narrative  runs  on,  deepens  into  tragedy,  and  rides 
the  billows  of  an  eventful  life. 

From  such  a  giddy  height  every  path  must  lead 
downward,    "They  that  stand  high  have  many 


46  JUDA  '5  JB  WELS 

blasts  to  shake  them,  and  if  they  fall,  they  dash 
themselves  to  pieces."  The  king's  favor  was  only 
apparent.  Saul  had  formerly  been  afflicted  by  an 
evil  spirit  which  the  magic  of  David's  lyre  had 
power  to  exorcise — a  service  it  has  ever  since  been 
doing  for  kings  and  for  beggars  as  well.  Afflic- 
tion has  become  familiar  with  the  charm,  and  calls 
for  its  music  in  every  hour  of  distress  and  pain. 
But  a  demon  of  greater  power  had  now  entered 
the  king's  soul,  one  that  will  not  down  at  the  bid- 
ding of  holy  song — jealousy.  The  story  is  too 
familiar  to  be  repeated.1  But  I  fancy  when  the 
maddened  king  "eyed"  the  harper,  poised  his 
ponderous  javelin,  and  hurled  it  at  his  life,  that, 
missing  its  deadly  aim,  it  crashed  through  the  up- 
raised lyre,  an  ineffectual  shield,  tearing  out  its 
delicate  strings,  and  then  sank  quivering  into  the 
wall  beyond.  No  more  songs  for  thee,  O  king! 
The  sweet  songster  has  fled;  his  lyre  is  in  ruins 
before  thee.  A  deadly,  sure  blow  at  thine  own 
peace.  Whenever  I  hear  man  or  woman  cast  a 
sneer  at  the  songs  of  Israel's  bard,  I  think  of 
Saul's  spear. 

The  lyre  of  David's  boyhood,  the  joyful  harp  of 
innocence  and  peace,  is  destroyed.  He  must  now 
attune  another,  and  learn  the  notes  of  sorrow. 

1 1  Samuel  xix.  9,  ff . 


THE  CA  VERN  47 

§  3.  The  descent  begins.  The  first  humiliation 
is  that  this  intrepid  young  warrior  must  flee  to  his 
wife  for  protection,  into  the  women's  apartments, 
which,  by  oriental  custom,  were  safe  from  other 
intrusion.1  After  some  days  she  lets  him  down 
outside  the  city  wall  through  a  window,2  and  he 
steals  away  alone  under  the  cover  of  night,  like  a 
base  and  guilty  thing. 

Jonathan  intercedes,  and  narrowly  escapes  mur- 
der at  his  father's  hand.3  David  and  his  friend 
meet  stealthily  and  part  with  bitter  tears.  No 
wonder  "David's  grief  exceeded"  when  he  felt 
this  new  humiliation — that  he  had  alienated  father 
and  son,  and  been  the  occasion  of  the  father's  at- 
tempted murder  of  his  brother  and  only  friend. 
We  say  only  friend,  for  the  friendships  of  the 
sycophants  who  throng  a  court  move  with  the 
humor  of  the  king. 

It  seems,  however,  that  some  two  or  three  young 
comrades  in  arms  joined  him  and  followed  him  to 
Nob,  where  the  tabernacle  at  that  time  stood.4 


1  Psalm  lix.,  see  title. 

2  We  are  reminded  of  a  similar  escape  from  Jericho,  and  of 
one  from  Damascus. 

*  i  Samuel  xx.  27,  ff. 

*l  Samuel  xxi.;  cf.  Mark  ii.  25.     Nob  was  close  tojebus,  the 
future  Jerusalem. 


48  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

David's  faith  in  God  is  evidently  failing,  for  here 
he  descends  to  a  mean  deception  of  the  simple- 
minded  priests,  if  not  to  a  barefaced  lie,  which  af- 
terwards brings  them  to  bloody  death,  like  cattle 
in  a  "slaughter  pen.1  The  fallen  prince  begs  for 
bread.  Then  the  stripped  warrior  asks  for  arms. 
Girded  anew  with  the  sword  of  Goliath,  which  had 
been  laid  up  as  a  trophy  in  the  tabernacle,  his  mar- 
tial pride  returns.  That  trust  by  which  he  had 
won  it  is  now  reposed  in  the  trophy  itself,  which 
soon  betrays  him  to  a  further  fall. 

Down,  down,  how  rapidly  he  sinks!  Whither 
now  shall  he  go?  He  resolves  to  seek  refuge  in 
the  fortress  of  his  enemies,  the  enemies  of  his 
country,  and  of  his  God.  Many  centuries  after- 
wards, Themistocles  and  Coriolanus  each  found, 
by  a  similar  step,  safety  and  protection.  How  was 
it  with  this  falling  hero?  His  few  companions  re- 
fuse to  follow  him,  and  he  goes  entirely  alone  to 
the  court  of  King  Achish  of  Gath.2  This  Philis- 

1 1  Samuel  xxii.  18,  19. 

2  It  ought  to  be  observed  that,  contrary  to  a  very  common 
notion,  the  Philistines  were  at  this  time  far  superior  to  the  Isra- 
elites in  the  arts  of  peace  and  of  war,  and  in  all  the  attainments 
of  a  civilized  state.  The  court  of  Saul  was  a  barbarous  affair 
compared  with  that  of  Achish;  and  Achish  himself,  though  a 
heathen,  seems  to  have  been  a  right  royal  and  refined  gentle- 
man. See  his  conduct  here,  and  in  i  Samuel  xxvii.  and  xxix. 


THE  CAVERN  49 

tine  capital  was  a  short  day's  journey  southwest 
from  Nob.  We  suppose  David  reached  Gath  in 
the  afternoon.  He  seems  to  have  been  blind  in 
his  audacity;  for  here,  in  the  very  home  of  the 
slain  giant,  he  was  soon  recognized,  probably  by 
means  of  the  well-known  sword  in  which  he  was 
trusting.  The  mob,  infuriated  by  the  sight  of  this 
trophy,  seize  and  bring  him  to  the  king.  David's 
quick  wit  saves  him,  but  how  basely!  He  feigns 
madness.1  His  being  at  Gath  and  alone  might 
have  been  proof  enough,  but  he  adds  lunatic  be- 
havior, and  scrabbles  on  the  doors  of  the  gates, 
and  lets  his  spittle  drip  down  upon  his  beard.  What 
a  fall  is  here !  King  Achish,  disgusted,  sharply 
reproves  his  courtiers  for  admitting  such  a  fellow 
into  the  royal  presence.  They  have  him  away. 
They  wrest  the  sword  of  Goliath  from  him. 
Though  they  know  that  this  is  David,  the  hero 
warrior  of  Israel,  who  had  slain  his  thousands, 
yet  they  disdain  to  pollute  their  knightly  swords 
with  his  debased  blood.  The  rabble  hoot  him 
through  the  streets.  He  is  kicked  out  of  the 
gate,  and  chased  with  stones.2 


1  So  did  Ulysses  in  similar  circumstances. 

2  Psalms  xxxiv.  and  Ivi.  are  referred  by  their  titles  to  this 
event,  but  cannot  be  so  interpreted.     For  a  different  view  re- 
specting the  first,  see  §  7. 

4 


50  JUDA  'S  JEWELS 

He  escapes  eastward  toward  the  hills,  and 
night,  the  friend  of  the  fugitive,  coming  on,  he 
is  safe  again.  But  how  forlorn!  Without  arms, 
without  companions,  without  friends,  without  food 
or  shelter;  degraded,  ashamed,  insulted,  scorned 
by  the  heathen;  beaten  off  from  their  habitations, 
a  thing  too  mean  to  kill — what  a  pitiable  state ! 
He  sits  beside  the  highway  in  the  moonless  night, 
despised  and  rejected  of  men,  it  may  be  thinking 
that  the  foxes  have  holes,  and  the  birds  of  the  air 
have  nests,  but  he  not  where  to  lay  his  head. 

And  now  in  such  condition  would  not  man's 
heart,  guiltless  of  crime,  turn  yearningly  back  to 
the  scenes  of  his  youth,  to  his  father's  house,  to 
his  mother's  side?  There  at  least  he  is  sure  of 
love.  So  we  will  think  of  David  as  rising  with  a 
sigh,  and  setting  his  face  eastward.  He  climbs 
the  hills  toward  Bethlehem,  some  fifteen  miles 
distant,  and  labors  through  the  night  along  the 
old  battlefield,  where  his  public  career  began,  the 
sunrise  of  his  little  day  of  glory,  which  had  so 
quickly  passed,  so  darkly  closed.  He  retraces 
the  path  he  so  blithely  trod  to  bring  his  father's 
message  to  his  brothers.  The  waning  moon  has 
risen.  By  its  little  but  welcome  light,  from  the 
heights  which  on  the  west  and  south  overlook  the 
town,  he  gazes  wistfully  on  the  home  of  his  child- 


THE  CAVERN  $1 

hood  sleeping  peacefully  before  him.  His  aged 
father  is  there,  his  true  and  valiant  brothers,  his 
gentle  mother,  unconscious  of  the  fierce  and  rapid 
disasters  that  have  befallen  her  darling.  May  he 
enter  and  rest  and  be  soothed  by  the  kindly  sym- 
pathies of  home?  No,  he  dares  not  enter,  lest  he 
should  bring  on  his  home  the  vengeance  of  the 
tyrant  who  seeks  his  life,  and  the  slaughter  of  the 
innocents  be  anticipated  by  a  thousand  years. 
Heartsick,  he  turns  away.  He  remembers  the 
green  pastures  and  the  still  waters.  He  wanders 
down  into  the  valley  where  his  truly  happiest  days 
were  spent.  But  even  here  he  dares  not  linger, 
for  the  dawn  approaches,  and  the  fugitive  from 
man's  eye  must  burrow  in  the  jackal's  home, 
and  hide  by  day  in  the  darkness  of  a  den. 

§4.  Not   far  from   the    sheep  pastures  east  of 
Bethlehem    is   the  traditional    cave  of   Adullam.1 


1The  correct  location  of  this  cave  is  a  matter  of  dispute 
among  the  best  informed  writers.  Only  two  places  can  thus  far 
fairly  claim  any  right  to  consideration:  the  cave  in  the  Wady 
Kureitun,  and  that  on  the  hill  of  Aid  el  Ma.  The  Bible  men- 
tions two  places  named  Adullam,  if  they  be  two:  one  a  city  in 
the  lowland  (Joshua  xv.  33,  35),  probably  the  one  mentioned  in 
Genesis  xxxviii.  i,  12,  20;  the  other  a  cave  (i  Samuel  xxii.  i; 
2  Samuel  xxiii.  13;  i  Chronicles  xi.  15). 

The  cave  in  the  Wady  Kureitun  is  about  four  and  a  half 
miles  southeast  of  Bethlehem,  in  lat.  31°  39',  long.  35°  14' '.  A 


5  2  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

With  Dr.  Thomson  and  other  good  authorities, 
we  hold  the  tradition  to  be  correct.  The  site  is 
five  miles  southeast  of  the  village,  approached 
by  a  path  which  descends  rapidly  the  entire  dis- 
tance. "From  the  low  ground  of  the  neighbor- 
hood," says  Mr.  Bonar,  "  the  cave  is  reached  by 
climbing  a  precipitous  ascent,  the  full  height  of 
which  is  a  thousand  feet.  Half-way  up  you  find  a 


tradition  "that  cannot  be  traced  behind  the  Crusaders"  favors 
this  site.  The  suitability  of  this  place  for  David's  purposes  is 
shown  in  the  following:  "It  is  one  of  the  most  remarkably 
situated  caves  in  the  side  of  one  of  the  grandest  and  Avildest 
gorges  in  Palestine,  the  narrow  path  to  it  blocked  by  a  fallen 
rock,  so  that  a  few  resolute  men  could  defend  it  against  a  host. 
.  There  are  three  caves,  opening  one  into  the  other,  of 
which  the  first  is  lofty  and  of  considerable  size,  and  could  easily 
accommodate  four  hundred  men.  We  found  the  floor  dry  and 
dusty  even  toward  the  end  of  the  rainy  season.  It  was  in  Da- 
vid's own  country,  '  the  wilderness  of  Judea,'  where  he  was  ac- 
customed to  feed  his  sheep — i  Samuel  xvii.  28."  (Brass.)  This, 
site  agrees  with  the  indications  in  the  Bible  better  than  the  oth- 
er (2  Samuel  xxiii.  13;  i  Chronicles  xi.  15;  i  Samuel  xxii.  i,  3,4). 
The  hill  Aid  el  Ma  is  about  twelve  miles  west-southwest  of 
Bethlehem,  in  lat  31°  39'  20",  long.  34°  59'  50".  In  the  name 
"it  is  possible  to  hear  Adullam."  This  is  the  most  suitable 
site  yet  discovered  for  the  city  of  Adullam,  for  a  number  of 
places  named  in  connection  with  this  city  lie  close  by  (Josh- 
ua xv.  35;  Nehemiah  xi.  30;  Micah  i.  15;  2  Chronicles  xi.  7). 
From  Bethlehem  one  goes  down  more  to  Aid  el  Ma  than  to 
Wady  Kureitun  (i  Samuel  xxii.  i ;  2  Samuel  xxiii.  13).  Jose- 


THE  CAVERN  S3 

slope  that  leads  off  to  a  ledge  of  rocks.  Along  this 
ledge,  overhanging  a  precipice  of  five  hundred 
feet,  you  walk  for  half  a  mile,  the  path  presenting 
many  difficulties.  When  you  reach  the  entrance 
of  the  cave,  you  find  it  guarded  by  masses  of 
rock,  over  which  you  make  your  way  into  the 
cavern,  and  are  soon  lost  in  a  succession  of 
many  chambers.  Each  of  these  is  a  sort  of  hall 
in  which  you  might  imagine  the  rocks  to  be  Goth- 
ic pillars.  Some  of  the  chambers  are  only  a  few 
feet  high,  others  are  like  the  inside  of  a  church. 
The  whole  mountain  of  rock  seems  to  be  honey- 
combed; it  is  all  natural  excavation.  No  one  has 
explored  more  than  a  few  hundred  yards  of  it; 
though  the  natives  believe  that  it  reaches  as  far 
south  as  Hebron,  about  sixteen  miles."  From  this 
and  other  accounts,  it  is  evident  that  the  cave  is 
hollowed  in  that  vast  table  of  limestone  rock  which 


phus  says  the  cave  was  "by  the  city  of  Adullam."  (Ant.,  vi. 
12,  3.)  This  makes  a  strong  case  for  Aid  el  Ma.  But  "  the  site 
is"  not  "entirely  suitable,"  and  "  it  cannot  be  said  that  there  is 
enough  resemblance  in  the  modern  name  to  place  it  beyond 
doubt  as  Adullam."  If  all  of  David's  four  hundred  men  hid  in 
the  cave  of  Adullam  at  one  time,  Aid  el  Ma  could  not  have 
been  the  place,  for  this  "low,  smoke-blackened  burrow  "  is  too 
small.  The  row  of  small  caves  at  Adullam  is  "  separated  from  " 
the  city  "by  a  narrow  valley." 

The  following   authorities   favor    Wady    Kureitun:    W.  M. 


54  JVDA  'S  JE  WELS 

constitutes  the  "hill  country"  of  southern  Pales- 
tine, and  that  its  entrance  is  in  the  steep  escarp- 
ment of  this  rock  looking  toward  the  Dead  Sea, 
the  ledges  being  the  outcropping  of  its  nearly  hor- 
izontal strata.  David,  from  his  early  years,  must 
have  known  this  cave  as  a  place  of  resort.  He 
and  his  youthful  companions  had  often  scrambled 
up  to  its  entrance  and  explored  its  recesses,  little 
thinking  of  its  predestined  history. 

In  the  morning  twilight,  after  his  nocturnal  jour- 
ney from  Gath,  we  find  David  standing  near  the 
mouth  of  the  cavern,  solitary  and  sad.  The  situ- 


Thomson,  The  Land  and  the  Book,  "Southern  Palestine  and 
Jerusalem,"  pages  33O-335?  Rev-  w-  F-  Birch,  in  Palestine 
Exploration  Fund  Quarterly,  1884,  page  61 ;  1886,  page  31 ;  Rev. 
Henry  Brass,  in  Palestine  Exploration  Fund  Quarterly ',  1890, 
page  iSo;  Henry  A.  Harper,  The  Bible  and  Modern  Discover' 
ies,  pages  223,  224;  Horatius  Bonar,  Land  of  Promise,  pages 
244-247. 

The  following  authorities  favor  Aid  el  Ma:  Major  C.  R. 
Conder,  Tent  Work  in  Palestine,  pages  153,  276,  sq.;  Major  Con- 
der,  in  Palestine  Exploration  Fund  Quarterly,  January,  1876,  page 
41 ;  George  Armstrong,  Names  and  Places  in  the  Old  and  New 
Testament  and  Apocrypha,  -with  Their  Modern  Identifications  (re- 
vised by  Colonel  Sir  Charles  W.  Wilson  and  Major  Conder),  page 
6;  Canon  Tristram,  in  Picturesque  Palestine,  Sinai,  and  Egypt, 
Vol.  I.,  page  142;  A.  F.  Kirkpatrick,  in  Cambridge  Bible  for 
Schools,  on  i  Samuel  xxii.  i ;  George  Adam  Smith,  The  Histori- 
cal Geography  of  the  Holy  Land,  pages  229,  230. — Denny. 


THE  CA  VERN  55 

ation  is  symbolic.  Though  his  foot  is  firm  on  the 
solid  rock,  there  is  a  mountain  behind  him,  there 
is  a  dizzy  precipice  at  his  feet.  Far  below  and 
away  eastward  stretches  the  fearful  wilderness 
toward  the  sea,  which  now  begins  to  glimmer  in 
the  light  dawning  over  the  heights  of  Abarim.1  So 
the  dawn  in  his  soul  betokens  returning  day,  a  re- 
turn of  that  faith  in  his  God  which,  in  the  gloom 
of  his  troubles,  seems  almost  to  have  forsaken 
him.  He  has  reached  the  lowest  depth,  and  with 
renewing  trust,  the  ascent  begins.  He  feels  that 
in  God,  and  in  him  only,  are  help  and  deliver- 
ance. Yet  there  is  a  burning  sense  of  injustice  at 
the  hands  of  Saul  and  his  minions,  made  hotter 
by  consciousness  of  innocence.  God  shall  be  his 
judge.  His  heart  impels  him  to  the  divine  tri- 
bunal. Shall  not  the  Judge  of  all  the  eartli  do 
right?  Relying  on  God's  righteousness,  he  will 
appeal  to  him  to  overthrow  the  wicked  and  estab- 
lish the  just.  Let  us  think  of  him  as  kneeling  on 
the  dizzy  ledge  of  rock,  once  again  toward  the 
rising  sun,  and,  with  his  hands  outstretched,  ut- 
tering this  fervid  prayer: 


'The  range  of  Nebo,  the  mountains  beyond  Jordan  and  the 
Dead  Sea,  the  northern  end  of  the  Moab  mountain-wall  as  seen 
from  the  west.  See  Numbers  xxvii.  12. 


56  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

O  LORD  my  God,  in  thee  do  I  put  my  trust. 

i 

Save  me  from  all  them  that  pursue  me, 
And  deliver  me,  lest  he  tear  my  soul, 
Like  a  lion  rending  it  in  pieces, 
While  there  is  none  to  deliver. 

ii 
O  LORD  my  God, 

If  I  have  done  this, 
If  there  be  iniquity  in  my  hands, 

If  I  have  rewarded  evil  unto  him  that  was  at  peace 

[with  me, 

(Yea,  I  delivered  him  that  without  cause  is  mine 

[adversary,) 

Let  the  enemy  pursue  my  soul  and  overtake  it, 
Yea,  let  him  tread  down  my  life  to  the  earth, 
And  lay  mine  honor  in  the  dust. 


NOTES. — The  first  line  Delitzsch  calls  the  Capitatio  Benevo- 
lentia;  with  which  cry  of  faith,  hope,  and  love  David  begins  a 
number  of  his  psalms. 

Strophe  i.  Them — he:  this  abrupt  change  of  number  is  fre- 
quent with  David.  Mere  it  may  indicate,  first  the  minions  of 
Saul,  and  then  the  king  himself. — soul,  life. — lion,  we  have 
supposed  David's  eyes  were  overlooking  the  wilderness  where 
the  lion  lurked  from  which  he  had  delivered  the  lamb. 

Strophe  a.  An  indirect  but  strong  asseveration  of  innocence. 
Compare  Paul's  appeal:  "I  stand  at  Caesar's  judgment  seat, 
where  I  ought  to  be  adjudged:  to  the  Jews  have  I  done  no 
wrong,  as  thou  very  well  knowest.  For  if  I  be  an  offender,  or 


THE  CAVERN  57 

III 

Arise,  O  LORD,  in  thine  anger, 

Lift  up  thyself  against  the  rage  of  mine  adversaries, 

Awake  for  me ;  judgment  hast  thou  ordained. 

Let  the  congregation  of  the  peoples  surround  thee ; 

And  over  them  return  thou  on  high. 

The  LORD  ministereth  judgment  to  the  peoples. 

IV 

Judge  me,  O  LORD, 

According  to  my  righteousness, 

And  according  to  mine  integrity  that  is  upon  me. 

Oh  let  the  wickedness  of  the  wicked  come  to  an  end, 

But  establish  thou  the  righteous, 

Trying  the  hearts  and  reins, 

Righteous  God. 


have  committed  anything  worthy  of  death,  I  refuse  not  to  die; 
but  if  there  be  none  of  these  things  whereof  these  accuse  me, 
no  man  may  deliver  'me  unto  them.  I  appeal  unto  Caesar." 
(Acts  xxv.  10,  n.)  The  parenthesis  may  allude  to  the  deliver- 
ance of  Saul  from  Goliath  and  the  Philistines. 

Strophe  3.  The  poet  arranges  a  judgment  scene.  He  calls 
upon  God  to  arise,  to  awake,  to  prepare  for  judgment.  Let 
him  assemble  the  peoples  to  witness  the  vindication  of  justice. 
Let  them  encircle  the  tribunal;  to  which  high  seat,  the  assem- 
bly being  convened,  the  Judge  then  returns,  and  sits  to  hear 
the  causes  of  the  peoples.  (A  different  view  of  return  thou  on 
high  is  taken  by  many  commentators;  but  this  seems  best,  and 
is  supported  by  Perowne,  Hupfield,  Calvin,  Kimchi,  et  al.) 

Strophe  4.  Now  into  the  presence  of  the  Judge  rushes  the 


5  8  JUDA  '5  JE  WELS 

The  prayer  is  ended.     Meditation  follows: 


v 


My  shield  is  with  God, 

Who  saveth  the  upright  in  heart. 

God  is  a  righteous  Judge, 

Yea,  a  God  that  is  angry  every  day. 

If  a  man  turn  not,  he  will  whet  his  sword ; 

He  hath  bent  his  bow,  and  made  it  ready, 

He  hath  aimed  at  him  weapons  of  death, 

He  maketh  his  arrows  fiery  shafts. 


oppressed  one,  crying  for  justice,  pressing  his  suit,  asserting 
his  innocence,  demanding  retribution.  If  this  be  not  poetry, 
where  shall  we  look  for  it?  (Cf.  Corneille's  Le  Cid,  Act  2,  sc. 8.) 
— mine  integrity  upon  me,  as  a  robe. 

I  put  on  righteousness,  and  it  clothed  me, 

My  judgment  was  as  a  robe  and  a  diadem.     (Job  xxix.  14.) 

— hearts  and  reins :  with  the  Hebrews  "the  heart  was  the  seat 
of  the  understanding  and  will;  the  reins,  of  natural  impulses 
and  affections;  both  in  contrast  to  mere  outward  appearances." 
(Canon  Cook.}  The  rhythm  of  this  fourth  strophe  is  panting 
with  breathless  haste  and  earnestness. 

Strophe  jr.  With  God :  more  accurately,  upon  God. — my  shield : 
having  claimed  the  protection  of  God,  he  looks  to  him  for  de- 
fense, and  will  no  longer  attempt  it  for  himself.  Thus  he  has 
placed  his  shield  upon  God's  arm,  and  trusts  him  to  interpose 
it. — angry,  with  the  wicked. — bent:  literally,  trodden  his  botv, 
which  is  poetically  more  vivid  and  forcible;  a  large,  strong 
bow,  requiring  the  aid  of  the  feet  to  bend  it. — fiery  shafts, 
tipped  with  fire,  as  in  ancient  sieges. 


THE  CA  VERN  59 

VI 

Behold,  he  travaileth  with  iniquity, 
He  hath  conceived  mischief, 
And  brought  forth  falsehood. 
He  hath  digged  a  pit, 
And  hollowed  it  out, 
And  is  fallen  into  the  ditch  he  made. 
His  mischief  shall  return  upon  his  own  head, 
And  his  violence  shall  descend  upon  his  own  crown. 

I  will. praise  the  LORD  according  to  his  righteousness, 
And  will  sing  praise  to  the  name  of  the  LORD  most 

[high. 

This  Psalm  vii.  is  generally  admitted  on  inter- 
nal evidence  to  belong  to  David's  early  life.  "It 
is  remarkable  for  vivacity,  rapid  and  vigorous 
transitions,  and  vivid  imagery — points  recognized 
by  Ewald  and  other  critics  as  marking  a  genuine 
production  of  David's  youth."  (Cook.}  But  there 
is  nothing  to  mark  its  place  more  definitely.  As 
it  seems  to  express  admirably  David's  feelings  at 


Strofhe  6.  He,  his  enemy. — shall  return,  the  sides  of  the  pit 
cave  in  upon  him.  The  figures  are  homely,  but  very  strong. 

The  close.  The  LORD — ;.  <?.,  Jehovah — occurs  seven  times. 
"Scepe  oratio,  quern  pene  desperantem  recipit,  exultantem  re- 
linquit."  (Bernard.)  The  final  words  of  this  psalm  are  like  a 
flower  opening  its  petals  to  the  morning  sun.  The  night  had 
made  the  flower  bend  its  head,  dripping  with  dew,  but  now,  as 
it  lifts  itself  to  greet  the  dawn,  the  tears  of  darkness  have  be- 
come diamonds  around  its  coronet. 


6O  JUDA  '5  JE  WELS 

this  epoch  of  his  life,  we  have  so  used  it  without 
other  warrant.1 

Its  structure  is  unsettled,  Ewald,  Koster,  Moll, 
Cheyne,  De  Witt,  and  Maclaren  each  dividing  it 
differently.  The  divisions  here  indicated  are 
grounded  primarily  on  the  sense,  and  are  sub- 
mitted without  discussion  to  the  judgment  of  the 
reader.  The  term  Shiggaion^  occurring  in  the 
title,  means  an  excited,  irregular  dithyrambic  ode, 
and  accordingly  we  find  it  unsymmetrical,  yet  not 
so  much  so  as  to  hide  its  artistic  features. 

In  the  present  rendering  there  are  deviations  from 
the  defective  translation  of  the  Authorized  Version 
and  also  from  the  Revised  Version.  No  change, 
however,  has  been  made  but  what  seems  requi- 
site to  a  correct  expression  of  the  original  sense, 
and  each  is  supported  by  excellent  authority.  By 
these  changes  several  obscurities,  both  of  sense 
and  structure,  are  cleared. 

§5.  The  pra}'er  and  meditation  are  ended.  The 
sun  has  risen.  David  has  retired  into  the  cave, 
and  is  lost  to  sight  in  the  gloom  of  its  recesses. 

!The  title  runs  thus:  "Shiggaion  of  David,  which  he  sang 
unto  the  Lord,  concerning  the  words  [or  business]  of  Cush  the 
Benjamite."  That  is,  A  dithyrambic  ode  of  David  concerning 
the  words  or  conduct  of  Cush.  Some  interpreters  consider  Cush 
to  be  Saul  himself.  Many  other  guesses  have  been  made.  We 
may  adopt  the  conjecture  that  Cush  (meaning  Ethiopian}  was  one 
of  Saul's  confidential  adherents,  who,  himself  jealous,  had  set 
himself  malignantly  to  poison  his  master's  mind  against  David 
by  lying  slanders  while  David  was  yet  at  court,  and  that  he  con- 
tinued his  false  and  inflammatory  accusations  during  David's 
sojourn  in  the  wilderness.  The  supposition  will  explain  a 
number  of  indignant  expressions  in  the  psalms  of  this  period. 
(See  strophe  2.) 


THE  CAVERN  6 1 


When  one  reads  the  Cave  Psalms  of  David,  one 
who  has  never  himself  been  minished  and  brought 
low  through  oppression,  affliction,  and  sorrow,  it 
is  for  him  well-nigh  impossible  to  catch  more  than 
a  glimpse  of  their  celestial  beauty,  or  to  appre- 
hend aught  of  their  divine  power.  He  may  pon- 
der their  contents,  and  then  perhaps  will  only 
wonder  why  they  have  been  cherished  and  ex- 
tolled through  so  many  ages  as  the  most  precious 
heritage  of  early  antiquity.  He  is  standing  as  it 
were  in  the  sunshine,  outside  the  cave,  peering 
into  its  gloom,  and  seeing  nothing  there.  But  of 
such  as  sit  in  darkness,  and  in  the  shadow  of 
death,  bound  in  affliction  and  iron,  of  the  soul 
that  is  melted  because  of  trouble,  these  saintly 
words  glide  like  seraphic  music  into  the  darker 
musings,  with  a  mild  and  healing  sympathy.  Paul 
and  Silas  in  the  prison  at  Philippi,  the  early  Chris- 
tians in  the  Roman  catacombs,  the  Scottish  Cov- 
enanters in  the  caves  of  the  Highlands,  Bunyan  in 
Bedford  jail,  Judson  in  the  Burmese  dungeon — 
these  are  but  few  of  thousands — all  Christian  mar- 
tyrs, all  Christian  sufferers  in  mind,  body,  or  es- 
tate, thousands  of  thousands  in  all  ages  have  been 
soothed  and  comforted  in  their  hours  of  darkness, 
have  been  fortified  and  inspired  to  saintly  heroism 
by  the  heavenly  spirit  breathing  in  these  psalms. 


62  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

Their  beauty  to  such  as  these  is  clear  as  the  beauty 
of  the  skies;  their  power,  divine. 

If  we  stand  outside  the  cave  of  Adullam,  in  the 
clear  sunshine,  gazing  into  the  unfathomable  dark- 
ness of  its  unknown  recesses,  we  see  nothing. 
But  if  we  enter,  and  now  immersed  far  within  its 
deepening  gloom,  turn  and  look  upward  and  out- 
ward, what  a  brilliant  and  glorious  view  of  the 
illumined  landscape  and  the  blue  sky,  made  ten- 
fold brighter  by  contrast  with  the  dark  sides  and 
roof  of  the  cavern,  the  cold,  rough  rocks  that 
frame  the  glowing  picture.  One  who  has  never 
been  within  a  cave,  and  thus  looked  out  on  the 
sunlit  world,  can  scarcely  imagine  this  vision  of 
beauty,  so  like  a  vision  of  paradise,  like  looking 
into  heaven. 

And  now,  while  gazing  with  dilated  eyes  on  the 
revelation,  we  may  hear  from  the  far  deeper  re- 
cesses the  voice  of  a  suppliant.  An  interval  of 
reflection  has  brought  David  to  feel  that  in  the 
sight  of  the  Judge  he  is  not  so  entirely  guiltless 
as  to  be  clearly  justified.  But  he  relies  on  God's 
righteousness  rather  than  on  his  own,  and  as  his 
servant,  humbly  prays  for  acquittal.  He  renews 
his  complaint,  remembers  the  days  of  old,  avows 
his  trust,  and  asks  to  be  delivered  from  the  realm 
of  darkness  into  the  land  of  uprightness: 


THE  CAVERN  63 

I 

Hear  my  prayer,  O  LORD, 
Give  ear  to  my  supplications ; 
In  thy  faithfulness  answer  me, 
And  in  thy  righteousness, 

And  enter  not  into  judgment  with  thy  servant ; 
For  in  thy  sight  no  man  living  is  righteous. 

ii 

For  the  enemy  hath  persecuted  my  soul, 

He  hath  smitten  my  life  down  to  the  ground, 

He  hath  made  me  to  dwell  in  darkness, 

As  those  that  have  been  long  dead. 

Therefore  is  my  spirit  overwhelmed  within  me ; 

My  heart  within  me  is  desolate. 

in 

I  remember  the  days  of  old, 
I  meditate  on  all  thy  works, 
I  muse  on  the  work  of  thy  hands. 
I  stretch  forth  my  hands  unto  thee, 
My  soul  thirsteth  after  thee, 
As  a  thirsty  land. 

IV 

Hear  me  speedily,  O  LORD, 

My  spirit  faileth ; 

Hide  not  thy  face  from  me, 

Lest  I  become  like  them  that  go  down  into  the  pit. 


64  JUDA  yS  JE  WELS 

Cause  me  to  hear  thy  loving-kindness  in  the  morning, 
For  in  thee  do  I  trust ; 

Cause  me  to  know  the  way  wherein  I  should  walk, 
For  I  lift  up  my  soul  unto  thee. 

v 

Deliver  me,  O  LORD,  from  mine  enemies, 
I  flee  unto  thee  to  hide  me. 
Teach  me  to  do  thy  will ; 
For  thou  art  my  God, 
Thy  spirit  is  good  ; 
Lead  me  into  the  land  of  uprightness. 

VI 

Quicken  me,  O  LORD, 

For  thy  name's  sake  ; 

For  thy  righteousness'  sake, 

Bring  my  soul  out  of  trouble. 

And  of  thy  mercy  cut  off  mine  enemies, 

And  destroy  all  them  that  afflict  my  soul ; 

For  I  am  thy  servant. 

There  are  no  means  of  determining  with  cer- 
tainty the  historic  place  of  this  Psalm  cxliii.,  since 
it  contains  no  distinct  historic  allusions,  but  is  sim- 
ply a  mournful  wail  de  frofundis.  It  is  David's 
by  its  title,  and  in  its  style,  and  is  referable  to  his 
early  days,  since  it  is  without  those  marks  that 
commonly  characterize  his  later  compositions,  par- 
ticularly a  deep  consciousness  of  personal  sinful- 
ness.  In  some  copies  of  the  Septuagint  and  in 
other  versions  there  is  added  to  the  title,  "  When 
Absalom  his  son  pursued  him."  This  is  irrecon- 


THE  CAVERN  65 

cilable  with  the  closing  sentiment  of  the  psalm,  and 
is  considered  of  no  authority.1 

The  language  here  adopted  is,  with  slight  excep- 
tions, that  of  the  Authorized  Version  and  Revised 
Version,  which  pretty  closely  correspond.  The 
formal  structure  is  very  simple,  but  is,  however, 
quite  artistic,  and  without  calling  for  remark, 
merits  attention.  The  sentiment  also  is  so  simply 
and  directly  expressed,  that  a  thoughtful  reader 
needs  no  aid  of  comment.  It  may  be  observed, 
however,  that  in  the  last  line  of  strophe  5  "land 
of  uprightness"  is  more  literally  land  of  a  level 
region  or  ^plain.  We  call  attention  to  the  dis- 
tribution of  the  vocative  "O  LORD,"  which  oc- 
curs four  times.  The  general  feeling  is  that  of 
humble  trust.  An  alternate  rise  and  fall  is  beau- 
tifully marked  in  each  strophe,  particularly  in  stro- 
phe 4,  forming  almost  regular  undulations.  To- 
ward the  close  the  feeling  becomes  more  earnest, 
marked  by  the  shortened  phrases,  making  us 
think  of  the  quicker  panting  of  a  thirsty  soul. 

§  6.  In  after  days  David  remembered  his  deep 
humiliation  at  this  time,  he  remembered  the  striv- 
ing of  his  soul,  and  he  remembered  with  gratitude 
the  prompt  deliverance  which  was  granted  in  an- 
swer to  his  prayer.  Psalm  cxlii.  is  entitled,  "A 
prayer  when  he  was  in  the  cave,"  being  a  subse- 
quent account  of  his  forlorn  condition,  and  of  his 
prayer,  in  the  following  words: 

1It  is  the  last  of  the  seven  Penitential  Psalms,  so  called  by 
the  Jews;  but  I  cannot  see  why  this  one  should  be  included  un- 
der that  title.     The  seven  are :  Psalms  vi.,  xxxii.,  xxxviii.,  li.,  cii., 
cxxx.,  cxliii.     All  are  entitled  David's  except  cii.  and  cxxx. 
5 


66  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

I 

I  cried  unto  the  LORD  with  my  voice, 
With  my  voice  unto  the  LORD  did  I  make  my  suppli- 
I  poured  out  my  complaint  before  him,  [cation. 

I  shewed  before  him  my  trouble. 
When  my  spirit  was  overwhelmed  within  me, 
Then  thou  knewest  my  path. 

ii 

In  the  way  wherein  I  walked 
They  had  privily  laid  a  snare  for  me. 
I  looked  on  my  right  hand,  and  beheld, 
But  there  was  no  man  that  would  know  me ; 
Refuge  had  failed  me; 
No  man  cared  for  my  soul. 

in 

I  cried  unto  thee,  O  LORD  ; 
I  said  :  "  Thou  art  my  refuge, 
And  my  portion  in  the  land  of  the  living, 
Attend  unto  my  cry, 
For  I  am  brought  very  low. 
Deliver  me  from  my  persecutors, 
For  they  are  stronger  than  I. 
Bring  my  soul  out  of  prison, 
That  I  may  praise  thy  name." 

IV 

The  righteous  shall  compass  me  about ; 
For  thou  shalt  deal  bountifully  with  me. 


THE  CAVERN  6? 

The  general  interpretation  of  this  psalm  as  indi- 
cated above  is  in  accord  with  the  rendering  of  the 
Authorized  Version,  here  adopted.  But  the  re- 
visers and  other  good  Hebraists  prefer  to  translate 
the  verbs  of  strophes  i  and  2  in  the  present  tense. 
If  we  read  it  so,  we  cannot  consider  the  psalm  a 
subsequent  description.  With  this  view,  however, 
the  unquestionable  preterits  in  the  first  and  second 
lines  of  strophe  3,  I  cried,  I  said,  seem  inconsist- 
ent. We  therefore  prefer  the  Authorized  Version, 
which  on  linguistic  grounds  also  is  defensible. 


§7.  The  presence  of  David  in  the  cave  of  Adul- 
lam  soon  became  known  at  Bethlehem.  It  was 
now  harvest  time,  and  the  Philistines,  as  was  their 
custom  at  this  season,  made  a  predatory  raid  on 
the  fields  of  Judah,  and  took  and  for  some  time 


NOTES. — Strophe  2  is  suggested  by  the  last  line  of  strophe  i. 
It  may  be  understood  to  refer  to  the  machinations  of  his  ene- 
mies while  at  court,  those  who  shared  and  fostered  the  jealousy 
of  Saul.  In  the  fourth  and  last  lines  he  for  a  moment  forgets 
Jonathan,  and  below  declares  that  God  is  his  only  portion  in 
the  land  of  the  living. 

Strophe 3.  This  prayer  consists  of  a  claim,  followed  by  three 
distinct  yet  parallel  petitions.  They  look  not  so  much  like  the 
prayer  itself  as  like  an  enumeration  of  the  points  for  which  he 
had  prayed. 

Strophe  4.  The  description  being  finished,  this  closing  distich 
seems  to  express  independently  and  generally  a  present  grate- 
ful confidence  in  the  continuance  of  God's  goodness  to  him.  It 
is  a  manner  of  closing  quite  characteristic  of  the  Davidic  psalms, 
especially  those  referring  to  persecution — e.g.  Psalm  xiii.  5,  6, 


68  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

held  possession  of  Bethlehem.  In  consequence, 
David's  brethren  and  all  his  father's  house  went 
down  to  Adullam  unto  him.  Besides  these,  every- 
one that  was  in  distress,  and  everyone  that  was  in 
debt,  and  everyone  that  was  discontented  gathered 
themselves  unto  him,  and  he  became  a  captain 
over  them;  and  there  were  with  him  about  four 
hundred  men.1 

David's  aged  father  and  mother  had  fled  to  him. 
His  first  care  was  to  provide  for  their  safety  and 
comfort.  So  he  took  them,  guarded  by  his  band, 
around  to  the  east  of  the  Dead  Sea,  and  secured 
for  them  a  home  and  protection  in  the  land  of 
Moab,  the  native  land  of  his  great-grandmother 
Ruth.  He  honored  his  father  and  mother,  and  so 
inherited  the  promise.  While  tarrying  in  Moab, 
the  prophet  Gad,  probably  sent  by  Samuel,  ap- 
pears and  commands  his  return.  Then  David  de- 
parted, and  came  into  the  forest  of  Hareth,  which 


1  I  Samuel  xxii.  i,  2.  These  included  David's  nephews, 
Joab,  AbisbaS,  and  Ashael.  His  followers  became  passionately 
attached  to  him;  for  he  possessed  largely  that  personal  mag- 
netism which  has  always  characterized  great  leaders.  See  the 
romantic  incident,  occurring  at  this  time,  but  recorded  in  2 
Samuel  xxiii.  13-17,  in  which  his  conduct  recalls  Alexander's 
in  the  deserts  of  Gedrosia,  and  Sir  Phillip  Sydney's  last  hours. 
(Cf.  4  Maccabees  iii.  6-16.) 


THE  CAVERN  69 

was  most  probably  in  the  western  portion  of  the 
district  of  Judah.1 

As  we  picture  him  and  his  band  loitering  in  the 
pleasant  groves  of  Hareth,  we  cannot  help  thinking 
of  the  romantic  Robin  Hood,  and  of  the  exiled 
duke  and  his  gentle  followers  in  the  forest  of 
Arden.  We  will  imagine  David  employing  these 
sunny  hours  by  inditing  a  delightful  ode  in  grate- 
ful acknowledgment  of  God's  mercies  to  him,  and, 
wishing  to  encourage  and  benefit  the  devoted  fol- 
lowers who  share  his  outlawed  condition,  address- 
ing it  to  them.  No  doubt  many  of  them  were 
godly  men  ("saints,"  strophe  3).  Others,  per- 
haps the  younger  men,  he  exhorts  to  piety,  assum- 


1 1  Samuel  xxii.  3-5.  There  has  been  some  difficulty  about  Ha- 
reth. The  LXX.  reads  "city"  for  "wood."  "Very  probably  the 
name  is  preserved  in  that  of  Kharas,  a  village  in  the  Hebron 
mountains  between  Hulhul  and  Adullam  [Aid  el  Ma],  where 
dense  patches  of  scrub  abound."  (Names  and  Places,  page  80.) 
"  No  woods  now  exist,  but  it  would  be  too  much  to  say  they  did 
not,  for  pine  woods  existed  in  this  very  district  and  around  He- 
bron as  late  as  the  times  of  the  crusades,  though  not  a  single 
tree  can  now  be  found.  The  site  of  David's  hiding  place  at 
Hareth  we  have,  I  think,  been  the  first  to  discover  in  the  strong 
ruined  site  of  Kharas,  which  lies  in  the  higher  hills  above 
Keilah,  scarcely  more  than  a  mile  [fully  two  miles]  from  it, 
among  inaccessible  ravines,  but  easily  reached  from  the  valley 
of  Elah."  (Major  Conder  in  Palestine  Exploration  Fund  Quar- 
terly, January,  1876,  page  42.) — Denny. 


70  JUDA  \S  JE  WELS 

ing  a  parental  tone  (strophe  4),  and  encourages 
in  them  a  reliance  on  God  by  reference  to  his  own 
experience,  and  its  happy  results: 

i 
I  will  bless  the  LORD  at  all  times ; 

his  praise  shall  continually  be  in  my  mouth. 
My  soul  shall  make  her  boast  in  the  LORD  ; 

the  humble  shall  hear  thereof  and  be  glad. 
Oh  magnify  the  LORD  with  me, 
and  let  us  exalt  his  name  together. 

ii 

I  sought  the  LORD  and  he  answered  me, 
and  delivered  me  from  all  my  fears. 

They  looked  unto  him,  and  were  lightened ; 

and  their  faces  were  not  ashamed. 
This  poor  man  cried,  and  the  LORD  heard  him, 
and  saved  him  out  of  all  his  troubles. 

The  angel  of  the  LORD  encampeth  round  about 

and  delivereth  them.  [them  that  fear  him, 


NOTES. — Strophe  i.  His  resolution,  and  an  invitation  to  his 
companions  to  praise.— the  humble,  meek  sufferers,  or  dis- 
tressed ones  in  general. 

Strophe  2.  The  reason,  furnished  by  his  own  and  their  expe- 
rience.— wore  lightened,  became  bright.  All  who  steadfastly 
look  on  the  Lord  reflect  the  light  of  his  countenance.  The 
contrast  is  the  face  dark  with  shame. — poor  man,  distressed 
one. — the  angel  of  the  Lord,  the  captain  of  the  Lord's  host. 
(Joshua  v.  14.)  Very  appropriate  to  the  supposed  military  situ- 
ation of  David  and  his  band.  (See  also  Genesis  xxxii.  i,  2.) 


THE  CAVERN  ?1 

III 

Oh  taste  and  see  that  the  LORD  is  good ; 

blessed  is  the  man  that  trusteth  in  him. 
Oh  fear  the  LORD,  ye  his  saints ; 

for  there  is  no  want  to  them  that  fear  him. 
The  young  lions  do  lack,  and  suffer  hunger;       [thing, 
but  they  that  seek  the  LORD  shall  not  want  any  good 

IV 

Come,  ye  children,  hearken  unto  me, 

and  I  will  teach  you  the  fear  of  the  LORD. 

What  man  is  he  that  desireth  life, 

and  loveth  many  days,  that  he  may  see  good? 
Keep  thy  tongue  from  evil, 
and  thy  lips  from  speaking  guile. 

Depart  from  evil,  and  do  good, 

seek  peace  and  pursue  it 


Strophe  3.  Exhorting  the  saints,  his  godly  companions,  to 
trust  and  fear. — taste  and  see,  "nisi  fits/averts,  non  videbis" 
(Bernard?)  On  account  of  this  expression,  the  psalm  was  used 
at  communion  by  the  early  Christian  Church. — young  lions, 
even  the  young  ones,  who  are  so  strong,  active,  and  fierce,  do 
lack.  An  allusion  also  very  appropriate  to  the  supposed  situa- 
tion in  the  forest  of  Ilareth,  which  was  probably  a  wild  region 
in  western  Judah. 

Stroflie  4.  Instructing  the  children,  juvcnes,  his  young  fol- 
lowers, how  to  attain  good.  (See  i  John  ii.  i,  et  «/.). — tongue 
(cf.  James  iii.  2,  10). — pursue,  aspire  after;  young  warriors 
long  for  battle. 


7  2  JUDA  '5  JE  WELS 

V 

The  eyes  of  the  LORD  are  toward  the  righteous, 
and  his  ears  are  open  unto  their  cry. 

The  face  of  the  LORD  is  against  them  that  do  evil, 

to  cut  off  the  remembrance  of  them  from  the  earth. 
The  righteous  cry,  and  the  LORD  heareth, 

and  delivereth  them  out  of  all  their  troubles. 
The  LORD  is  nigh  unto  them  that  are  of  a  broken  heart, 

and  saveth  such  as  be  of  a  contrite  spirit. 

VI 

Many  are  the  afflictions  of  the  righteous ; 
but  the  LORD  delivereth  him  out  of  them  all. 

He  keepeth  all  his  bones  ; 

not  one  of  them  is  broken. 
Evil  shall  slay  the  wicked  ; 

and  they  that  hate  the  righteous  shall  be  condemned. 
The  LORD  redeemeth  the  soul  of  his  servants, 

and  none  of  them  that  trust  in  him  shall  be  con- 

[demned. 

Strophe  /.  The  Lord's  attitude  toward  the  righteous,  the 
wicked,  and  the  contrite;  the  poet's  experience  and  observa- 
tion. (See  i  Peter  iii.  12.) — the  remembrance,  the  dread  lest 
it  should  be  cut  off  is  characteristically  Semitic.  (Cf.  Job 
xviii.  17.) 

Strophe  6.  The  Lord's  dealing  with  the  righteous  and  the 
wicked;  the  poet's  experience  and  observation. — he  keepeth, 
etc.:  probably  not  prophetic,  but  applicable  to  our  Lord. 
(John  xix.  36.  See  also  Exodus  xii.  46.) — evil,  is  personified. 
The  evil  of  the  evil-doer  slays  him.  A  poetical  expression  for 
moral  suicide. — condemned,  held  guilty. 


THE  CAVERN  73 

Here  David  has  given  us  another  most  precious 
psalm,  written  in  remembrance  of  his  dark  hours, 
but  overflowing  with  gratitude  and  praise  for  the 
redemption  which  God  wrought  for  him.  It  is 
Psalm  xxxiv.  Commentators  generally  agree  that 
it  is  an  early  psalm,  because  of  its  entire  freedom 
from  that  consciousness  of  deep  guilt  which  is  dis- 
coverable in  nearly  all  his  late  psalms.  The  tone 
is  didactic  and  reflective,  but  warmly  grateful. 
It  is  obviously  designed  to  give  instruction  to  those 
about  him.  The  distichs  have  rather  a  parabolic 
or  gnomic  character.  This  style  is  inconsistent 
with  a  lyrical  effusion  occurring  at  the  time  of  the 
event  it  celebrates,  as  in  case  of  psalms  already 
quoted,  but  it  entirely  accords  with  circumstances 
such  as  those  under  which  we  have  supposed  it 
was  written. 

The  title  says  that  it  was  his  psalm  "when 
he  changed  his  behavior  before  Abimelech;  who 
drove  him  away,  and  he  departed."  Abimelech 
was  probably  the  dynastic  name  of  the  kings  of 
Gath,  and  Achish  the  personal  name  of  the  one 
then  reigning.  We  cannot  interpret  the  psalm  in 
accordance  with  this  title,  unless  we  suppose  that 
the  incidents  at  Gath  are  taken  as  representative 
of  this  whole  period  of  humiliation  in  which  they 
were  so  prominent. 

The  structure  merits  special  attention.  It  is  al- 
phabetic, a  species  of  acrostic.  In  this  case,  the 
initial  letters  of  the  distichs  taken  in  succession 
are  the  letters  of  the  Hebrew  alphabet  in  their 
order,  twenty-two  in  all.  In  the  rendering  here 
this  feature  is  marked  by  giving  a  capital  initial 
only  to  the  alphabetic  lines.  There  are  one  or  two 
irregularities  which  we  need  not  now  pause  to  note. 
The  object  of  the  artifice  was  probably  to  assist 
memory.  It  is  therefore  not  a  poetic  or  rhetor- 


74  JUDA  VS  JE  WELS 

ical,  but  a  mnemonic  feature,  yet  entirely  in  ac- 
cord with  the  didactic  character  of  the  psalm, 
showing  that  David  intended  that  his  followers 
should  memorize  it. 

The  first  four  strophes  alternate — i.  e.,  the  first 
is  similar  in  construction  to  the  third,  and  the  sec- 
ond to  the  fourth.  The  first  and  third  consist 
each  of  a  quatrain  and  an  added  distich ;  the  sec- 
ond and  fourth,  of  four  distichs  each,  which  in  the 
second  strophe  clearly  alternate  both  in  form  and 
sense.  The  last  two  strophes  are  similar  to  each 
other,  consisting  each  of  two  distichs  and  a  qua- 
train. This  construction  is  a  compound  of  the  pre- 
ceding, increasing  the  variety,  while  holding  to  the 
fundamental  plan  and  symmetrical  arrangement. 

It  has  commonly  been  thought  that  the  Alpha- 
betic Psalms  have  no  strophe  structure  beyond 
what  the  alphabetic  arrangement  indicates.  Hence 
Moll  and  Cheyne,  for  example,  mark  each  distich 
here  as  a  distinct  strophe,  influenced,  perhaps, 
also  by  the  gnomic  style ;  others,  as  De  Witt  and 
the  Revised  Version,  mass  the  whole  without  any 
division.  Alexander,  in  speaking  of  Psalm  cxlv., 
very  strangely  says:  "  In  form  it  is  an  Alphabetic 
Psalm,  and,  like  others  of  its  class,  admits  of  no 
analysis."  This  cannot  be  allowed.  Surely  no 
one  can  read  Psalm  xxv.,  which  in  alphabetic  ar- 
rangement is  exactly  similar  to  this,  and  fail  to  ob- 
serve its  sharply  distinct  and  nearly  equal  divisions 
into  prayer  and  meditation,  and  then  meditation 
and  prayer;  the  two  meditations  being  separated 
by  a  cry  occurring  right  in  the  middle  of  the  psalm 
(verse  n).  If  in  the  one  before  us  the  divisions 
are  not  so  obvious,  yet  they  appear  sufficiently 
clear  when  we  attend  to  the  succession  of  thought. 
In  the  notes  an  attempt  is  made  to  unfold  this  log- 
ical order. 


THE  CAVERN  75 

The  structure  exhibited  here  may  be  deemed 
too  elaborate,  and  be  rejected  either  as  not  really 
existing,  or  as  not  intended  by  the  poet.  Whether 
it  exist  or  not,  I  must  leave  to  the  judgment  of  the 
candid  and  critical  reader.  If  he  contemplate  it 
until  its  marvelous  and  symmetrical  beauty  takes 
hold  on  him,  he  will  not  readily  dismiss  it  as  a 
fancy  wholly  baseless.  If  admitted  to  exist,  then 
it  may  be  asked,  Is  it  the  unconscious  result  of 
poetic  fervor,  the  natural  rhythmical  movement  of 
thought  when  impelled  by  waves  of  feeling,  yet 
undiscerned  by  the  thinker,  and  hence  not  a  pre- 
meditated design;  or  did  the  poet  become  con- 
scious of  these  complex  subjective  undulations, 
and  bring  them  under  control,  and  give  them  ex- 
pression in  the  outline  of  his  design  ?  Let  it  be 
remembered  that  this  is  not  a  lyrical  effusion  of 
the  moment,  the  offspring  of  passion,  like  the  more 
simply  constructed  psalms  previously  quoted ;  but 
a  work  done  in  calm  retirement,  deliberately  per- 
fected at  leisure,  and  having  a  conscious  ulterior 
purpose — all  which  is  attested  by  the  didactic  tone, 
by  the  forms  of  address,  and  by  the  alphabetic 
arrangement.  May  we  not  believe  that  the  artist 
expended  pains  on  the  form  of  his  poem,  and  de- 
liberately elaborated  it,  wishing  to  make  it  more 
acceptable  to  those  whom  he  proposed  to  instruct, 
and  more  adherent  to  their  memories? 


III.-THE  DESERT 

§i.  THE  ascent  of  David  from  the  humble  sta- 
tion of  a  shepherd  boy  to  the  giddy  height  of  the 
favorite  of  the  court  and  nation  was  rapid,  smooth, 
and  joyous  as  a  lark  mounting  with  song  into  sun- 
shine. His  descent  was  abrupt  as  a  bird  with 
broken  wing.  The  humiliation  was  bitter  and 
deep,  but  it  was  short.  Already  has  he  begun  to 
rise  again.  Now  the  way  upward  is  long,  toil- 
some, dangerous,  demanding  hard  struggles,  and 
full  of  snares.  It  is  marked  by  peculiar  experi- 
ences, developing  new  phases  in  his  character, 
and  before  it  terminates  at  the  throne,  he  has  be- 
come a  man  of  mature  years.  The  songs  of  this 
perplexed  period  were  dear  to  Wallace,  and  espe- 
cially dear  to  Alfred,  himself  a  harper,  a  songster, 
and  a  fugitive  king.  Not  only  to  the  fugitive, 
but  to  all  who  suffer  contumely  and  persecution, 
are  they  replete  with  celestial  power.  We  must 
sketch  the  reascent,  that  we  may  better  understand 
the  poet's  feeling,  and  more  justly  prize  the  gems 

he  scattered  on  his  way. 
(76) 


THE  DESERT  77 

We  left  David  and  his  armed  band  of  four  hun- 
dred men  lingering  in  the  solitudes  of  Hareth,  in 
a  desert  region.  He  and  his  followers  are  often 
spoken  of  as  outlaws.  This  is  hardly  just.  True, 
he  was  condemned  to  death,  and  hunted  by  the 
king;  but  such  was  the  misrule  and  disorder  of 
the  time,  that  he,  now  becoming  recognized  as 
heir  to  the  throne,  was  the  best,  and  perhaps  the 
only,  representative  of  law  in  all  that  section.  As 
the  irresponsible  chieftain  of  an  armed  force,  he 
might  be  expected  to  become  a  disorganizer  of 
society;  but,  so  far  as  we  can  learn,  his  influence 
was  conservative,  and  his  course  calculated  to 
maintain  justice.  Hence,  during  the  weak  and 
failing  administration  of  Saul,  the  independent 
position  of  this  second  Jephthah  was  a  boon  of 
Providence  to  all  southern  Judah.  The  term 
"outlaw"  is  also  apt  to  be  accompanied  by 
the  notion  that  he  lived  by  exaction,  if  not  by 
robbery;  but,  on  the  contrary,  he  was  the  pro- 
tector of  his  people  from  oppression  and  rob- 
bery, and  lived  by  their  voluntary  and  grateful 
offerings. 

We  have  an  immediate  illustration  of  these  rela- 
tions. While  in  Hareth,  word  came  to  David  that 
the  Philistines  had  made  a  descent  on  the  thresh- 
ing floors  of  Keilah,  a  fortified  town,  situated  in 


78  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

western  Judah.1  He  promptly,  under  divine  direc- 
tion, marched  to  its  relief,  drove  off  the  enemy, 
and  remained  a  welcome  guest  of  the  citizens. 
Probably  he  tarried  here  some  months,  and  mean- 
time his  band  increased  to  six  hundred  men. 

While  enjoying  the  hospitalities  of  the  grateful 
city,  he  heard  of  one  of  those  terrible  tragedies 
that  cast  their  shadows  all  along  his  life.2  Saul 
had  been  enraged  and  alarmed  at  his  escape. 
Doeg,  an  Edomite,  the  king's  equerry,  who  hap- 
pened to  witness  David's  interview  at  Nob  with 
Ahimelech  the  high  priest,  told  Saul  of  it,  adding 


:  Now  the  village  Kila,  in  the  Hebron  mountains 
eight  miles  northwest  of  Hebron.  See  Names  and  Places,  p.  109. 
"A  fortified  city  (i  Samuel  xxiii.  7),  named  in  Joshua  xv.  44  as 
one  of  a  group  of  cities  in  the  Shephelah  or  '  Lowland,'  which  in- 
cluded the  low  limestone  hills  bordering  on  the  Philistine  plain. 
It  was  perched  on  a  steep  hill  above  the  valley  of  Elah,  about 
three  miles  south  of  Adullam  [Aid  el  Ma],  where  the  name, 
Kila,  still  survives  to  mark  the  site."  (Kirkpatrick  on  i  Samuel 
xxiii.  i  in  Cambridge  Bible  for  Schools.)  "  Keilah  is  probably  the 
present  Kela,  a  hill  covered  with  ruins  on  the  Judean  side  of 
the  valley."  (Smith's  Historical  Geography,  p.  230.)  "The  val- 
ley of  Elah  has  its  head  near  Hebron,  and  runs  northward  and 
westward  past  Keilah,  Hareth,  Adullam  [Aid  el  Ma],  and  So- 
coh,  debouching  into  the  Philistine  plains  at  Tell  es  Safy,  the 
probable  site  of  Gath."  (Conder  in  Picturesque  Palestine,  Vol. 
I.,  p.  204.) — Denny. 
Ji  Samuel  xxii.  6,  ff. 


THE  DESERT  79 

the  He  that  Ahimelech  had  consulted  the  ephod  for 
David.1  To  have  done  so  would  have  been  own- 
ing allegiance  to  David  as  chief  ruler;  for  this 
oracle  was  only  for  the  vicegerent  of  Jehovah. 
Saul  probably  inferred  from  this  statement  that 
Ahimelech  was  fully  aware  of  David's  altered  re- 
lations to  him.  The  king  sent  for  all  the  priests. 
They  were  eighty-five  in  number,  and  we  see  them 
now  standing  in  order  before  his  throne,  clothed 
in  their  holy  vestments.  The  king  charges  them 
with  treason.  Ahimelech,  as  chief  priest  and 
spokesman,  not  aware  of  the  deceit  that  David 
had  practiced  upon  him,  makes  a  calm  and  truth- 
ful but  vain  defense.  Saul  commands  his  body- 
guard to  fall  on  the  priests  and  slay  them;  but 
they  would  not,  dared  not.  He  then  gives  the 
bloody  order  to  Doeg,  who,  being  a  foreigner, 
obeys.  The  scene  becomes  sublime.  These  holy 
men  fear  neither  Saul  nor  the  sword  of  Doeg,  but 
calmly  standing,  silent  and  unmoved,  they  await  the 
death  stroke  that  hews  them  down  one  after  anoth- 
er, until  high  priest  and  all  lie  mangled  and  bloody 
at  the  king's  footstool.  It  must  have  been  so,  else 
how  could  one  swordsman,  all  others  having  refused, 
accomplish  this  complete  slaughter  ?  Some,  at  least, 

!For  a  different  view,  see   Lange's  Commentary  on  the  de- 
fense of  Ahimelech,  and  remarks  of  Dr.  Toy. 


80  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

might  have  escaped.  There  is  no  parallel  in  history, 
unless  it  be  the  slaughter  of  the  Roman  senate  in 
the  forum  by  the  Gauls.  Josephus  well  pronounces 
it  the  culminating  crime  of  Saul's  career.1 

Abiathar,  the  son  and  successor  of  the  high 
priest,  had  probably  been  left  in  charge  at  Nob, 
and  thus  escaped.  With  the  ephod  in  his  hand, 
he  fled  to  David  at  Keilah.2  Thus  the  oracle  of 
the  vicegerent  is  transferred  to  David.  When 

*In  order  to  understand  Saul's  conduct  in  his  attempts  on 
the  life  of  David,  in  the  slaughter  of  the  priests,  and  in  his  sub- 
sequent hot  pursuit  of  David,  we  should  consider  that  the 
"jealousy,"  to  which  it  is  briefly  attributed,  was  not  merely  be- 
cause of  David's  prowess  and  the  praises  of  the  people,  nor  was 
it  the  mere  whim  of  a  madman;  but  that  it  probably  arose 
when  he  became  aware  of  David's  anointing,  and  the  conse- 
quent claim  upon  the  throne.  That  he  himself  was  rejected, 
and  Jonathan  set  aside  from  the  succession,  was  sufficient,  as 
things  go  in  history,  to  excite  the  attempt  on  David's  life; 
though  in  this  case  its  criminality  was  vastly  intensified  in  that 
it  was  an  attempt  to  thwart  by  violence  a  known  divine  decree. 
But  when  David  escaped,  Saul  had  reason  to  fear  that  he  would 
organize  and  lead  a  rebellion  against  his  throne.  Hence  the 
charge  of  treason  on  the  priests.  And  when  David  had  col- 
lected a  force,  and  was  enlisting  the  sympathies  of  southern 
Judah,  Saul,  to  all  outward  appearance,  had  good  cause  for 
alarm,  and,  but  for  the  divine  element,  we  would  say  he  was 
justified  in  taking  the  most  active  measures  to  crush  what  was. 
evidently  to  him  incipient  rebellion. 

2 1  Samuel  xxii.  19,  20;  and  xxiii.  6. 


THE  DESERT  8 1 


told  of  the  woe  which  his  deceit  had  brought  upon 
the  servants  and  sanctuary  of  God,  how  keen 
must  have  been  his  anguish!  But,  besides  the 
few  words  in  I  Samuel  xxii.  22,  23,  we  have 
only  one  distinct  reference  to  this  event.  Psalm 
Hi.,  addressed  to  Doeg,  burns  and  flashes  with 
malediction  and  indignation,  but  does  not  re- 
veal other  feelings. 

Saul,  hearing  that  David  was  come  to  Keilah, 
called  his  warriors  together  and  went  down  to 
besiege  him.  David  once  more  experienced  the 
fickleness  of  fortune,  and  the  not  less  proverbial 
ingratitude  of  a  populace.  For,  to  avert  the  wrath 
of  the  king  from  their  town,  a  conspiracy  to  mur- 
der David,  or  to  deliver  him  up  to  Saul,  was  now 
hatching  in  Keilah.  This,  of  course,  could  not 
be  effected  without  first  turning  the  people  gen- 
erally against  him  by  circulating  lying  slanders, 
which  naturally  deepened  public  uneasiness  and 
alarm.  Seeing  the  fear  on  every  side  among  his 
neighbors  and  acquaintance,  David  suspected  what 
was  going  on,  and  became  himself  alarmed.  He 
said,  in  his  haste,  that  he  was  surely  cut  off 
from  God's  eyes;  but  soon  faith  came  to  his  aid, 
and  he  said:  "Thou  art  my  God;  my  times  are 
in  thy  hand."  He  called  Abiathar,  and  consulted 

the  Lord  by  the  ephod.     The  oracle  informed  him 
6 


82  JU DA'S  JEWELS 

that  he  could  not  rely  upon  the  men  of  Keilah; 
for  they,  notwithstanding  their  obligations  and  fine 
professions,  would  surely  deliver  him  up,  as  the 
men  of  Judah  had  formerly  delivered  up  Sam- 
son.1 There  was  no  time  to  lose.  The  closing  of 
the  gates  of  the  walled  town  would  be  sufficient  to 
make  him  and  all  his  men  prisoners.  A  few  hours 
more  would  perhaps  ripen  the  plot,  and  draw  the 
net  they  had  laid  privily  for  him.  So  David  and 
his  band  hastily  fled  from  Keilah,  and  dispersed 
over  the  hill  country.  He  himself  took  refuge 
in  the  caves  of  a  mountain  in  the  wilderness  of 
Ziph,  between  Hebron  and  the  Dead  Sea.2 

Now  safe  in  his  stronghold,  though  alone,  Da- 
vid felt  that  the  Lord  God  of  truth  had  redeemed 
him,  notwithstanding  his  innate  iniquity  and  ill 
desert;  that  considering  his  trouble,  and  knowing 
and  approving  his  conduct  amid  his  adversities, 
God  did  not  shut  him  up  in  the  town  of  his  ene- 
mies, but  had  set  his  feet  free  in  the  wide  wilder- 
ness. Yet  he  was  stung  by  the  desertion  of  his 
companions,  who  in  the  panic  fled  from  him,  and 
felt  himself  to  be  like  a  broken  vessel;  forgotten, 
as  a  dead  man.  Knowing  that  his  troubles  were 

'Judges  xv.  9-13. 

2  A  rugged  district  southeast  of  Hebron.  A  rounded  hill 
there  still  bears  the  name  Tell  Zif.  (See  authorities  quoted 
on  Keilah.) — Denny. 


THE  DESERT 


not  over,  that  other  nets  were  laying  for  him,  hav- 
ing lost  confidence  in  the  help  of  man,  seeing 
that  the  rock  walls  of  a  fortress  such  as  Keilah, 
on  which  he  had  looked  in  complacent  security, 
were  no  house  of  defense  to  save  him,  he  is 
brought  in  his  helplessness  and  abandonment  to 
take  home  to  his  sad  soul  the  lesson  of  God's 

providence,  and  say: 

i 

In  thee,  O  LORD,  do  I  put  my  trust ; 
Let  me  never  be  ashamed  ; 
Deliver  me  in  thy  righteousness. 
Bow  down  thine  ear  unto  me, 
Deliver  me  speedily. 
Be  thou  my  strong  rock, 
For  an  house  of  defense, 

To  save  me. 

ii 

For  thou  art  my  rock  and  my  fortress ; 

Therefore  for  thy  name's  sake  lead  me  and  guide  me. 

Pluck  me  out  of  the  net  that  they  have  laid  privily  for 

For  thou  art  my  stronghold.  [me> 

Into  thine  hand  I  commend  my  spirit ; 

Thou  hast  redeemed  me,  O  LOUD,  thou  God  of  truth. 

NOTES. — Strophe  i.  Ashamed,  disappointed  in  my  hopes,  or 
shamed. 

Strophe  2.  Rock,  cliff,  steep  rock,  as  well  as  "strong  rock" 
of  strophe  i. — my  spirit:  see  remarks  following  the  psalm,  and 
Luke  xxiii.  46. 


84  JUDA  '5  JE  WELS 

ill 

I  hate  them  that  regard  lying  vanities ; 
But  I  trust  in  the  LORD. 
I  will  be  glad  and  rejoice  in  thy  mercy ; 
For  thou  hast  seen  my  affliction, 
Thou  hast  known  my  soul  in  adversities, 
And  hast  not  shut  me  up  in  the  hand  of  the  enemy ; 
Thou  hast  set  my  feet  in  a  large  place. 

IV 

Have  mercy  upon  me,  O  LORD,  for  I  am  in  distress ; 

Mine  eye  wasteth  away  with  grief, 

Yea,  my  soul  and  my  body. 

For  my  life  is  spent  with  sorrow, 

And  my  years  with  sighing ; 

My  strength  faileth  because  of  mine  iniquity, 

And  my  bones  are  wasted  away. 


Strophe  3.  Regard,  trust  in. — lying  vanities,  idols. — known, 
approved  the  way  of  (cf.  Psalm  i.  6). — a  large  place,  a  wide, 
open  region. 

Strophe  4.  Iniquity:  here  we  have  for  the  first  time  a  deep 
consciousness  of  sin,  and  hence  many  commentators  insist  on 
a  later  date  for  this  psalm.  But  the  word  rendered  iniquity 
does  not  mean  the  guilt  of  evil  deeds,  but  the  innate  depravity 
or  perversity  of  the  heart,  an  inward  tendency  to  wrong-doing 
which  may  have  been  hitherto  successfully  resisted;  as  in 
Psalm  xviii.  23,  "I  kept  myself  from  mine  iniquity."  Surely 
David  had  by  this  time  discovered  and  lamented  his  evil  na- 
ture. If  this  is  not  satisfactory,  then  we  may  say  that  perhaps 
David  was  mourning  the  deceit  by  which  he  had  imposed  on 


THE  DESERT  85 

V 

Because  of  all  mine  adversaries  I  am  become  a  reproach, 

Yea,  unto  my  neighbors  exceedingly, 

And  a  fear  to  mine  acquaintance ; 

They  that  did  see  me  without  fled  from  me. 

I  am  forgotten  as  a  dead  man  out  of  mind ; 

I  am  like  a  broken  vessel. 

For  I  have  heard  the  defaming  of  many, 

Terror  was  on  every  side ; 

While  they  took  counsel  together  against  me, 

They  devised  to  take  away  my  life. 

VI 

But  I  trusted  in  thee,  O  LORD  ; 

I  said  :  "  Thou  art  my  God. 

My  times  are  in  thy  hand ; 

Deliver  me  from  the  hand  of  mine  enemies, 

And  from  them  that  persecute  me. 

Make  thy  face  to  shine  upon  thy  servant ; 

Save  me  in  thy  loving-kindness." 


the  trustful  priests  at  Nob,  and  that  the  heinousness  of  this 
sin  was  revealed  by  its  dire  consequences,  recently  made 
known  to  him.  (See  i  Samuel  xxii.  22.) 

Strophe  5.  A  broken  vessel,  an  earthen  pot  at  best  of  little 
value,  easily  broken,  and  when  broken  worthless.  A  favorite 
figure  with  Jeremiah. 

Strophe  6.  A  recall  of  a  previous  prayer  (see  strophe  9,  last 
distich).*— my  times,  all  seasons  of  life. — are  in  thy  hand,  a  dec- 
laration of  trust  in  the  special  providence  of  God. 


86  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

VII 

Let  me  not  be  ashamed,  O  LORD  ; 

For  I  have  called  upon  thee. 

Let  the  wicked  be  ashamed, 

Let  them  be  silent  in  the  grave. 

Let  the  lying  lips  be  dumb, 

Which  speak  against  the  righteous  insolently, 

With  pride  and  contempt. 

VIII 

How  great  thy  goodness, 

Which  thou  hast  laid  up  for  them  that  fear  thee, 
Hast  wrought  for  them  that  trust  in  thee, 
Before  the  sons  of  men  !  [the  plots  of  man ; 

In  the  covert  of  thy  presence  shalt  thou  hide  them  from 
Thou  shalt  keep  them  secretly  in  a  pavilion  from  the 

[strife  of  tongues. 

IX 

Blessed  be  the  LORD  ; 

For  he  hath  shewed  me  his  marvelous  loving-kindness 

For  I  said  in  my  haste,  [in  a  strong  city. 

I  am  cut  off  from  before  thine  eyes. 

Nevertheless  thou  heardest  the  voice  of  my  supplica- 

When  I  cried  unto  thee.  [tions, 


Strophe  7.  Grave,  sheol,  hades,  the  home  of  disembodied 
spirits. 

Strophe  8.  Pavilion,  booth,  a  shelter  or  tent  of  boughs  and 
leaves.  • 

Strophe  g.  A  strong  city,  Keilah. 


THE  DESERT  87 

X 

O  love  the  LORD,  all  ye  his  saints ; 
For  the  LORD  preserveth  the  faithful, 
And  plentifully  rewardeth  the  proud  doer. 
Be  of  good  courage, 
And  he  shall  strengthen  your  heart, 
All  ye  that  hope  in  the  LORD. 

The  reference  of  this  Psalm  xxxi.  to  the  situa- 
tion above  described  is  in  accordance  with  the 
views  of  a  majority  of  the  early  commentators. 
Many  of  the  present  day  assign  it  to  a  later  his- 
toric place,  but,  as  they  differ  widely  from  each 
other,  we  may  adhere  to  the  old  view  of  the  Kei- 
lah  Psalm,  or  "Fortress  Hymn,"  as  Stanley  calls 
it,  which  is  not  without  its  advocates  among  recent 
authorities.  The  chief  objection  to  this  view  is 
mentioned  in  the  note  on  strophe  4-1 

The  psalm  is  a  very  precious  one;  whoever 
studies  it  must  love  it.  There  is  a  sweet  elegiac 
softness,  a  languor  and  depression  pervading  it 
that  reminds  of  Jeremiah.  It  is  not  difficult  to 
think  that  it  was  a  favorite  with  him.  A  number 
of  his  expressions  appear  to  have  been  suggested 
by  it,  and,  perhaps,  in  chapter  xx.  10,  he  quotes 
from  strophe  5,  lines  7,  8.  But  there  is  even 
higher  evidence  of  its  worth.  We  all  know  that 
the  human  heart,  in  an  hour  of  anxiety,  of  distress, 

Strophe  10.  The  psalm  begins  with  trust,  and  ends  with  hope. 

1  Ewald,  in  Die  Dichter  des  Alien  Bundes,  has  made  an  elabo- 
rate attempt  to  group  all  the  psalms  chronologically  and  his- 
torically, and  no  one  has  brought  to  the  task  more  learning 
and  acumen;  but  the  result  as  a  whole  is  generally  considered 
a  failure.  KOster  says  that  such  attempts  "cannot  lead  to  any 
positive  results;  a  fact  sufficiently  shown  by  the  astounding 
divergences  of  hypotheses  touching  the  age  of  the  psalms." 


88  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

or  of  great  pain,  forgets  all  things  except  those 
most  dear  to  it,  those  which  lie  hidden  in  its  in- 
most recesses,  and  when  wrung  by  some  fierce 
and  final  agony,  it  finds  in  these  its  solace.  We 
remember  that  the  last  dying  words  of  our  Lord 
were  taken  from  this  psalm.  May  we  not  say  he 
had  studied  it,  and  he  loved  it?  That  he  had 
these  words  by  heart,  that  they  came  to  him  in 
that  hour,  fills  us,  as  we  gaze  on  them,  with  rever- 
ential awe.  The  fact  crowns  the  psalm  with  a 
halo  of  glory.1  "  He  who  had  not  the  Spirit  by 
measure,  in  whom  were  hidden  all  the  treasures 
of  wisdom  and  knowledge,  and  who  spake  as 
never  man  spake,  yet  chose  to  conclude  his  life, 
to  solace  himself  in  his  greatest  agony,  and  at  last 
to  breathe  out  his  soul  in  the  psalmist's  form  of 
words,  rather  than  his  own.  No  tongue  of  man 
or  angel  can  convey  a  more  exalted  idea  of 
their  excellence."2  And  how  is  the  psalmist 
honored  that  his  very  language  impressed  the 
memory  of  his  Lord,  and  comforted  his  heart 
in  the  darkest  hour  that  ever  dawned  on  sinful 
earth!  "  But  when  the  Holy  One  of  God  chose 
these  words  to  express  the  solemn  surrender  of  his 
life,  he  gave  to  them  a  new  interpretation.  The 
Jewish  singer  only  meant  by  them  that  he  put  him- 
self and  all  his  hopes  into  the  hand  of  God.  Jesus 
meant  that  by  his  own  act,  of  his  own  free  will, 
he  gave  up  his  spirit,  and  therewith  his  life,  to  his 
Father.  And  many,  who  have  died  with  their  Lord, 
have  died  with  the  same  words  on  their  lips. 
These  were  the  last  words  of  Polycarp,  of  Basil, 
of  Bernard,  of  Huss,  of  Jerome  of  Prague,  of  Lu- 
ther, of  Melanchthon,  and  of  many  others."  3 

1The  same  divine  effulgence  invests  Psalm  xxii. 

*  Bishop  Home,  On  the  Psalms;  Introduction  by  Irving. 

•Perowne,  On  the  Psalms,  comment  ad  loc. 


THE  DESERT  89 

From  the  use  made  of  it  by  our  Lord,  this  psalm 
was  considered  by  Augustine,  Calvin,  and  others 
as  directly  Messianic.  Luther  says:  "The  psalm 
is  spoken  in  the  person  of  Christ  and  his  saints 
who  are  plagued  their  life  long,  internally  by  trem- 
bling and  alarm,  externally  by  persecution,  slan- 
der, and  contempt,  for  the  sake  of  the  word  of 
God,  and  yet  are  delivered  by  God  from  them  all, 
and  comforted."  But  in  the  strictly  Messianic  view, 
"iniquity"  (strophe  4)  and  the  hope  and  prayer 
for  deliverance  cannot  be  satisfactorily  explained. 
So  we  prefer  the  view  of  Stier,  adopted  by  Moll, 
which  sees  in  the  use  of  the  words  only  an  appro- 
priation of  an  expression  full  of  confidence,  and 
concludes  that  neither  this  nor  the  psalm  as  a 
whole  is  properly  prophetic. 

§2.  The  scattered  band  came  together  to  David 
in  the  forest  of  Ziph,  and  he  found  himself  again 
in  command  of  a  large  force,  perhaps  the  whole 
six  hundred  men.  It  seems  there  was  a  town, 
Ziph,  which  gave  its  name  to  the  neighboring  for- 
est. The  citizens  sent  word  to  Saul  to  come 
down,  that  they  might  deliver  David  into  his 
hand.1  David  heard  of  their  intent,  and  offered 
the  prayer  recorded  as  Psalm  liv.,  which  by  its 
title  is  referred  to  this  event.  The  first  strophe 
expresses  his  alarm;  but  in  the  second  he  becomes 
reassured,  so  fully  that  at  last  he  speaks  of  his 
deliverance  as  already  accomplished. 


1 1  Samuel  xxiii.  19,  ff. 


9O  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

Jonathan,  learning  by  the  same  means  of  Da- 
vid's whereabouts,  came  down  to  the  wood,  and 
comforted  him  in  most  beautiful  and  unselfish 
words.1  After  renewing  their  covenant,  the  friends 
part  to  meet  no  more.  Jonathan  retires  to  his  own 
house,  and  henceforth  remains  painfully  neutral 
between  his  father  and  his  friend. 

Saul,  having  sent  a  gracious  reply  to  the  message 
of  the  Ziphites,  assembled  his  warriors,  and  came 
down.  But  David  had  removed  farther  south,  to  the 
wilderness  of  Maon,  and  sought  refuge  with  his  men 
on  a  mountain.2  Perhaps  it  was  a  divine  direction, 
"  flee  as  a  bird  to  your  mountain." 3  Saul  pursued, 
and  surrounded  this  "  Rock  of  Destiny  "  4  with 
his  large  force.  The  net  was  complete,  just  ready 
to  be  drawn,  when  sudden  news  is  brought  of  a 
Philistine  invasion.  The  call  is  urgent,  and  Saul 


*i  Samuel  xxiii.  16,  ff. 

2Tell  Main  is  eight  and  a  quarter  miles  south  of  Hebron. 
The  wilderness  of  Maon  is  "the  country  to  the  east  of  Maon." 
(Names  and  Places,  p.  123.)  "Between  Hebron  and  the  wilder- 
ness there  are  nine  miles  by  three  of  plateau,  where  the  soil  is 
almost  free  from  stones,  and  the  fair,  red  and  green  fields, 
broken  by  a  few  heathy  mounds,  might  be  a  scene  of  upland 
agriculture  in  our  own  country.  This  is  where  Maon,  Ziph, 
and  the  Judean  Carmel  lay  with  farms  of  Nabal."  (Smith's 
Historical  Geography,  p.  306.) — Denny. 

•Psalm  xi.  i.  *  Ewald,  in  History  of  Israel,  ad  loc. 


THE  DESERT 


hastily  withdrew  to  encounter  the  national  ene- 
my. So  David's  prayer  was  answered  by  a  special 
providence. 

Immediately  David  marched  his  force  up  from 
Maon,  and  dwelt  in  the  strongholds  of  the  wilder- 
ness at  Engedi.1  This  was  about  midway  on  the 
western  shore  of  the  Dead  Sea.  There  a  stream 
even  now  issues  from  a  rock  about  four  hun- 
dred feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  "rushes 
down  the  steep  descent,  fretted  by  many  a  rug- 
ged crag,  and  raining  its  spray  over  verdant  bor- 
ders of  acacia,  mimosa,  and  lotus."  The  cliffs 
of  the  neighborhood  are  full  of  caves,  which 

1  "  Engedi  (=foiintain  of  the  kid},  now  Ain  Jidy,  is  situated 
about  halfway  along  the  western  shore  of  the  Dead  Sea.  The 
precipitous  cliffs  recede  from  the  water's  edge,  and  enclose  a 
sloping  plain  watered  by  the  stream  which  gushes  copiously 
from  the  limestone  rock.  Here  in  the  days  of  Abraham  stood 
the  Amorite  city  of  Hazazon-tamar  (—pruning  of  the  palm}: 
see  Genesis  xiv.  7;  2  Chronicbes  xx.  2.  It  is  still  an  oasis  in 
the  limestone  desert,  and  though  palm-trees  and  vineyards 
(Canticles  i.  14)  have  vanished,  the  petrified  leaves  of  the 
one  and  the  terraces  cut  on  the  hills  for  the  other  attest  its 
ancient  fertility.  On  all  sides  the  country  is  full  of  cav- 
erns which  might  serve  as  lurking  places  for  David  and  his 
men,  as  they  do  for  outlaws  at  the  present  day.  See  Rob- 
incon,  Biblical  Researches,  i.  508  ff.  ;  Tristram,  Land  of  Israel, 
p.  277  ff.  ;  Stanley,  Sinai  and  Palestine,  p.  295  ff.,  for  descrip- 
tions of  this  remarkable  spot."  (Kirkpatrick  on  i  Samuel, 
p.  195.)—  Denny. 


92  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

serve  as  lurking  places  for  fugitives  at  the  pres- 
ent day. 

Saul  again  heard  in  what  region  David  had  taken 
refuge.  So  he  mustered  three  thousand  picked 
men,  and  went  down  to  seek  him.1  This  enormous 
disparity  of  force  shows  the  determination  of  the 
king  to  search  every  nook  and  hollow  and  thicket, 
to  beat  the  bushes,  and  turn  the  stones,  if  need  be, 
to  find  his  victim.  Hunted  like  "  a  partridge  in  the 
mountains,"  David  concealed  himself  and  his  men 
in  the  caves,  and  there  for  a  time  baffled  his  pursuer. 

We  must  think  of  him  now  as  lurking  in  one 
of  these,  a  cave  of  Engedi,  attended  by  a  few 
chosen  men.  In  some  retired  recess,  whose 
friendly  darkness  reminds  him  of  the  shadow  of 
God's  wings,  he  cries  to  him  in  his  evening  prayer, 
before  lying  down  to  rest  and  sleep.  He  sees  the 
twin  guardian  angels,  Mercy  and  Truth,  coming 
to  his  aid.  He  no  longer  fears  his  foes,  though 
fierce  as  the  lions  of  the  surrounding  wilderness, 
but  can  lie  down  in  quietness  and  peace.  The 
night  which  darkens  the  outer  world,  like  that 
which  darkens  his  life,  will  soon  pass  away.  He 
will  awaken  the  dawn  of  both  with  praise.  In  his 
steadfast  heart  he  is  confident  that  he  shall  yet 
praise  the  Lord  before  all  peoples ;  for  there  is  no 

1 1  Samuel  xxiv. 


THE  DESERT  93 

limit  to  his  goodness  whose  mercy  and  truth  are 
high  as  the  heavens,  to  his  power  whose  seat  is 
above  the  heavens,  and  whose  glory  is  above  all 
the  earth.  Listen  to  his  prayer  and  exultation: 


Be  merciful  unto  me,  O  God,  be  merciful  unto  me ; 
For  my  soul  taketh  refuge  in  thee ; 
Yea,  in  the  shadow  of  thy  wings  will  I  take  refuge ; 
Until  these  calamities  be  overpast. 


NOTES. — Strophe  i.  The  shadow  of  thy  wings,  a  beautiful 
and  favorite  figure,  suggested  here,  perhaps,  by  the  darkness 
of  the  cave.  (See  also  Psalms  xvii.  8,  xxxvi.  7,  Ixiii.  7.)  Moses, 
in  his  "Song  of  the  Rock"  (Deuteronomy  xxxii.)  say s  of  Jacob: 

"As  an  eagle  stirreth  up  her  nest, 
Fluttereth  over  her  young, 
Spreadeth  abroad  her  wings, 
Taketh  them,  beareth  them  on  her  wings; 
So  the  Lord  alone  did  lead  him." 

We  are  reminded  also  of  how  the  unknown  author  of  Psalm 
xci.  begins  his  "Ode  of  Special  Providences:" 

"He  that  dwelleth  in  the  secret  place  of  the  Most  High, 
Shall  abide  under  the  shadow  of  the  Almighty. 
He  shall  cover  thee  with  his  feathers, 
And  under  his  wings  shalt  thou  trust." 

Did  he  have  David  in  mind?  Our  Lord,  influenced,  per- 
haps, by  these  passages,  uses  a  similar  figure,  but  more  ten- 
derly, in  the  well-known  lament  over  Jerusalem.  (Matthew 
xxiii.  37.) 


94  /UDA  'S  JE  WELS 


II 


I  will  cry  unto  God  Most  High, 

Unto  God  who  performeth  all  things  for  me. 

He  shall  "send  from  heaven  and  save  me, 

(Though  he  that  would  devour  me  revileth,) 
God  shall  send  forth  his  mercy  and  his  truth. 

in 

My  soul  is  in  the  midst  of  lions, 
I  lie  down  among  them  that  breathe  out  flames, 
Sons  of  men,  whose  teeth  are  spears  and  arrows, 
And  their  tongue  a  sharp  sword. 

Be  thou  exalted,  O  God,  above  the  heavens ; 
Let  thy  glory  be  above  all  the  earth. 

IV 

They  have  prepared  a  net  for  my  steps, 
He  hath  bowed  down  my  soul. 
They  have  digged  a  pit  before  me, 
Into  the  midst  whereof  they  are  fallen. 


Strophe  2.  Performeth,  perfects  his  purposes  concerning  me. 
— mercy  and  truth,  are  personified.  His  compassion  for  me, 
and  his  fidelity  to  his  promises. 

Strophe  3.  Soul,  life. — lie  down,  to  sleep  without  fear.  The 
circumstances  elucidate  this  highly  figurative  strophe.  The 
battle  array  of  spears,  etc.,  are  like  the  lion's  row  of  teeth. 

Strophe  4.  He,  his  royal  enemy. — fallen  :  his  foes,  by  seeking 
his  ruin,  have  insured  their  own. 


THE  DESERT  95 

V 

My  heart  is  fixed,  O  God,  my  heart  is  fixed ; 
I  will  sing,  yea,  I  will  sing  praises. 
Awake  my  glory,  awake  psaltery  and  harp ; 
I  will  awake  the  dawn. 

VI 

I  will  praise  thee,  O  Lord,  among  the  people ; 
I  will  sing  praises  unto  thee  among  the  nations. 
For  thy  mercy  is  great  unto  the  heavens, 
And  thy  truth  unto  the  clouds. 

Be  thou  exalted,  O  God,  above  the  heavens ; 
Let  thy  glory  be  above  all  the  earth. 


Strophe  5.  A  burst  of  rapture.  The  repetitions  have  a  fine 
effect. — my  glory,  my  soul. — the  dawn,  like  the  lark,  evocat  Auro- 
ram.  I  will  arise  from  my  couch  before  the  morning  light 
appears,  and,  with  songs,  will  awake  the  dawn  of  day.  So, 
too,  will  I  anticipate  with  praise  my  sure  deliverance  from 
this  night  of  troubles.  This  delicate  jet  of  poetry  is  entirely 
lost  in  the  common  versions. 

Strofhc  6.  "His  song  of  praise  is  not  to  sound  only  in  a  nar- 
row space,  where  it  can  scarcely  be  heard;  he  will  appear  as 
an  evangelist  of  his  deliverance  and  his  deliverer,  among  the 
nations  of  the  world;  tiis  calling  extends  beyond  Israel,  the  ex- 
periences of  his  person  are  for  the  benefit  of  humanity.  God's 
mercy  and  truth,  towering  up  to  heaven,  is  the  motive,  and 
shall  be  the  theme.  That  they  reach  to  heaven  is  the  idea  of 
their  infinity."  (Delitzsch.) 


96  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

This  is  Psalm  Ivii. ;  let  us  call  it  the  Engedi 
Psalm.  The  title  says:  "  Michtam  of  David, 
when  he  fled  from  Saul  in  the  cave."  Truly  it  is 
as  suitable  to  the  situation  as  it  is  exquisite  in  sen- 
timent. It  begins  with  trembling  trust  and  ends 
with  hallelujah.  The  English  Church  reads  it  on 
Easter  Sunday. 

The  construction  is  quite  simple.  The  refrain 
here  makes  its  first  appearance,  closing  each  of 
the  two  equal  parts.  The  parenthesis  in  strophe 
2,  while  it  is  a  redundancy  in  structure,  is  far  from 
being  a  blemish;  the  antithesis  it  introduces  has 
fine  rhetorical  effect;  we  could  not  spare  it.  The 
emphatic  repetitions  of  words,  occurring  in  stro- 
phes i  and  2,  and  especially  in  strophe  5,  are  pe- 
culiar to  this  psalm.  In  the  Hebrew  there  are 
several  obscure  passages,  and  the  Revised  Version 
is  questionable.  It  was  necessary  to  remodel  the 
parenthesis  and  the  last  line  of  strophe  5,  which 
has  been  done  in  accord  with  good  Hebraists.  In 
some  other  places  there  are  slight  deviations  in 
phraseology  required  by  the  admitted  sense. 

§3.  Saul  was  encamped  in  the  immediate  neigh- 
borhood of  David's  hiding  place.  The  story  of 
their  interview  is  familiar  to  every  child,  and  needs 
no  repetition.1  The  king's  life  was,  for  a  moment, 
in  David's  power,  but  he  would  not  lift  up  his  hand 
against  the  Lord's  anointed.  In  the  subsequent 
interview,  he  asserts  his  innocence  of  the  slander- 
ous charges  of  his  enemies,  and  appeals  to  Jeho- 

1 1  Samuel  xxiv.  and  xxvi.  We  adopt  the  view  of  many  critics 
that  these  two  chapters  are  a  varied  account  of  the  same  event. 


THE  DESERT  97 

vah  to  judge  between  them.  The  old  impulsive 
affection  of  Saul  burst  the  barriers  of  jealousy. 
David  had  called  him  "father,"  and  with  tears 
he  responds,  "  Is  this  thy  voice,  my  son  David?" 
He  confesses  his  injustice,  and  David's  magna- 
nimity in  sparing  his  life;  he  acknowledges  that 
divine  decree  had  given  the  kingdom  to  him,  and 
asks  him  to  swear  that  he  would  not  cut  off  his 
seed,  nor  destroy  his  name  out  of  his  father's 
house.  "And  David  sware  unto  Saul.  And  Saul 
went  home;  but  David  and  his  men  gat  them  up 
unto  the  hold."  Prudent  distrust !  But  they  met 
no  more,  and,  however  much  his  feelings  may 
have  changed  afterwards,  Saul's  last  word  to  Da- 
vid was  a  benediction. 

Psalm  xxvii.  may  be  referred  to  this  occasion. 
Let  us  picture  David  standing  on  the  high,  rocky 
pedestal,  which  was  his  refuge,  during  the  inter- 
view, waiting  until  Saul  and  his  retiring  army  had 
disappeared,  then  waving  his  drawn  sword  tri- 
umphantly o'erhead,  and  exultingly  declaiming: 

i 
The  LORD  is  my  light  and  my  salvation, 

Whom  shall  I  fear? 
The  LORD  is  the  strength  of  my  life, 

Of  whom  shall  I  be  afraid? 


NOTES. — Strophe  i.  Light:  it  is  said  that  this  is  the  only  In- 

7 


98  JUDA  '6'  JE  WELS 

II 
When  evil-doers  came  upon  me 

To  eat  up  my  flesh, 
Mine  adversaries  and  my  foes, 

They  stumbled  and  fell. 

in 
Though  an  host  should  encamp  against  me, 

My  heart  shall  not  fear; 
Though  war  should  rise  against  me, 

In  this  will  I  be  confident. 

* 

IV 

One  thing  have  I  asked  of  the  LORD, 

That  will  I  seek  after : 
That  I  may  dwell  in  the  house  of  the  LORD 

All  the  days  of  my  life, 
To  behold  the  beauty  of  the  LORD, 

And  to  inquire  in  his  temple. 

stance  in  the  Old  Testament  where  God  is  called  light,  a  figure 
made  familiar  to  us  by  St.  John.  The  rendering  (English)  of 
the  first  line  is  very  fine;  it  sounds  like  drawing  a  sword  from 
its  sheath. — strength,  stronghold. 

Strophe  2.  The  Authorized  Version  is  inaccurate,  disorder- 
Ing  the  members. — to  eat,  reminds  us  of  the  lions  in  the 
Engedi  Psalm. 

Strophe  3,  In  this,  relates  to  what  he  affirms  in  strophe  i. 

Strophe  4.  Beauty,  graciousness. — inquire,  meditate. — tem- 
ple, not,  of  course,  the  Solomonic  temple,  but  the  palace  of 
Jehovah,  King  of  Israel;  called  above,  house;  below,  tabernacle. 


THE  DESERT  99 

v 

For  in  the  day  of  trouble 

He  shall  keep  me  secretly  in  his  pavilion, 

In  the  covert  of  his  tabernacle  shall  hide  me, 

He  shall  lift  me  up  upon  a  rock. 

VI 

And  now  shall  my  head  be  lifted  up 
Above  mine  enemies  round  about  rne ; 

And  I  will  offer  in  his  tabernacle  sacrifices  of  joy ; 

I  will  sing,  yea,  I  will  sing  praises  unto  the  LORD. 

This  burst  of  triumph  now  changes  suddenly 
to  tremulous  prayer.  So  long  as  his  thoughts 
are  on  God's  favors  to  him,  he  is  full  of  joy  and 
exultation ;  but,  as  soon  as  they  revert  to  himself, 
the  undeserving  recipient,  he  comes  to  his  knees 
with  a  plaintive  cry: 

VII 

Hear,  O  LORD,  when  I  cry  with  my  voice ; 
Have  mercy  also  upon  me,  and  answer  me. 
My  heart  said  unto  thee — 

When  thou  saidst,  Seek  my  face — 
Thy  face,  LORD,  will  I  seek. 


Strophe  5.  Pavilion,  booth  made  of  branches,  as  above  in 
Psalm  xxxi.  strophe  7. — rock,  on  which  he  was  standing  high 
above  his  enemies,  typical  of  his  fortunes. 

Strophe  7.  "The  cry  is  now  for  mercy,  not  for  victory;  the 
shadows  are  falling  on  David's  heart." — my  heart  said,  a  sub- 


100  JUDA'S  JEWELS 

VIII 

Hide  not  thy  face  from  me, 

Put  not  thy  servant  away  in  anger ; 

Thou  hast  been  my  help ; 
Cast  me  not  off,  neither  forsake  me, 

O  God  of  my  salvation. 
(When  my  father  and  my  mother  forsake  me, 

Then  the  LORD  will  take  me  up). 

IX 

Teach  me  thy  way,  O  LORD, 
And  lead  me  in  a  plain  path, 

Because  of  mine  enemies. 
Deliver  me  not  over 

Unto  the  will  of  mine  enemies ; 
For  false  witnesses  are  risen  up  against  me, 
And  such  as  breathe  out  cruelty. 


jective  dialogue.  By  an  improper  inversion  of  clauses,  the 
usual  versions  lose  the  force  of  the  original,  making  very  good 
prose,  but  spoiling  the  poetry.  The  call  and  answer  follow  in 
immediate  succession,  indicating  hearty  promptness. 

Strophe  8,  The  parenthesis  is  a  reassuring  thought,  entering 
his  mind  during  prayer;  his  faith  is  on  the  return.  It  does  not 
mean  that  they  have  forsaken  him,  or  would  do  so;  but  that 
even  if  he  were  so  entirely  abandoned,  the  Lord  would  not 
leave  him,  but  come  nearer.  The  sparkle  of  this  gem  was 
caught  by  Isaiah,  when  he  said: 

"Doubtless  thou  art  our  Father; 

Though  Abraham  be  ignorant  of  us, 
And  Israel  acknowledge  us  not, 
Thou,  O  Lord,  art  our  Father,  our  Redeemer." 

(Isaiah  Ixiii.  16.) 


THE  DESERT  IOI 


The  prayer  is  ended ;   a  soliloquy  follows : 
x 

Unless  I  had  believed  that  I  should  see 
The  goodness  of  the  LORD 

In  the  land  of  the  living, — 

XI 

Wait  on  the  LORD  ; 

Be  of  good  courage, 
And  stout  of  heart, 

And — wait  on  the  LORD. 


And  again,  when  he  gives  God's  reply  to  Zion,  who  said: 

"The  Lord  hath  forsaken  me, 
And  my  Lord  hath  forgotten  me. 

Can  a  woman  forget  her  sucking  child 
That  she  should  not  have  compassion  on  the  son  of  her 
Yea,  they  may  forget;  [womb? 

Yet  will  not  I  forget  thee."     (Isaiah  xlix.  14,  15.) 

Strophe  to.  We  have  ventured  to  indicate  the  aposiopesis  by 
a  dash.  Both  the  Authorized  and  the  Revised  Version  sup- 
ply "  /  had  fainted"  which  gives  very  good  sense,  but  spoils 
the  poetry.  A  feeling  reader  does  not  need  this  aid.  The 
thought  of  the  elided  apodosis  is  far  more  forcible  when  unex- 
pressed. (Cf.  Genesis  iii.  22.) — in  the  land  of  the  living,  not 
only  during  my  lifetime,  thus  contrasting  with  Sheol;  but,  in 
contrast  with  his  lonely  cave  life,  when  restored  to  free  inter- 
course with  the  children  of  Israel.  (See  Psalm  cxlii.  5.) 

Strophe  n.  He  is  talking  to  and  exhorting  himself.  The 
third  line  differs  from  the  Authorized  Version,  which  gives  the 
incorrect  idea  of  an  assurance  conditioned  on  courage.  Rather 
it  is  a  parallel  continuation  of  the  self-exhortation.  So  Moses 
exhorts  Joshua,  "Be  strong,  and  of  a  good  courage."  (Deuter- 


102  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

§4.  David  soon  removed  with  his  force  into  the 
south  region  of  Judah,  and  busied  himself  in  pro- 
tecting his  people  from  the  depredations  of  the 
Edomites,  Amalekites,  and  Philistines.  During 
this  sojourn  occurred  the  romantic  episode  of  Abi- 
gail the  Carmelitess.1  It  does  not  belong  to  our 
subject,  but  we  are  strongly  tempted  to  turn  aside 
and  tell  of  the  rich  fool,  he  whom  our  Lord  re- 
sketched  in  the  parable.  Especially  are  we  tempt- 
ed to  analyze  the  plea  of  his  charming  wife,  "a 
woman  of  a  good  understanding,  and  of  a  beau- 
tiful countenance,"  interceding  with  David  for 
forbearance.  All  ye  men  who  would  learn  how 
to  plead,  listen  to  the  marvelous  eloquence  of  her 
speech;  study  the  circumstances,  study  its  spirit, 
study  its  logic,  study  its  rhetorical  graces  and 
power,  study  its  exquisite  delicacy,  study  its  acute 
personalities,  study  its  winning  introduction,  its 
superb  climax,  and,  withal,  study  its  simple,  unaf- 
fected naturalness,  and  you  will  rise  up  wiser  to 
sway  the  human  heart;  though,  indeed,  we  find 


onomy  xxxi.  7.) — and  wait,  the  repetition  very  simply  but  im- 
pressively implies  that  this  is  all  that  is  needed.  "Wait  at  his 
door  with  prayer;  wait  at  his  feet  with  humility;  wait  at  his 
table  with  service;  wait  at  his  window  with  expectancy.  Me 
speeds  best  whose  patron  is  in  the  skies."  (Spurgeoii.} 
1 1  Samuel  xxv. 


THE  DESERT  103 

running  through  it  a  thread  of  feminine  adroit- 
ness such  as  may  well  cause  the  best  of  us  to 
despair. 

We  cannot  forbear  to  note  one  highly  poetical 
passage,  which  for  boldness  of  metaphor  is  almost 
unparalleled.  Having  presented  her  plea,  she  ex- 
presses her  sympathy  with  David's  fortunes,  pas- 
sionately and  prophetically : 

"Yet  a  man  is  risen  to  pursue  thee, 

And  to  seek  thy  soul ; 

But  the  soul  of  my  lord  [thy  God  ; 

Shall  be  bound  in  the  bundle  of  life  with  Jehovah 
And  the  souls  of  thine  enemies,  [sling." 

Them  shall  he  sling  out,  as  from  the  middle  of  a 

The  strong  antithesis,  the  rhetorical  daring,  the 
appropriateness  of  the  imagery  here,  are  very  fine. 
"  The  bundle  of  life  "  probably  refers  to  a  quiver 
of  arrows,  suggested  by  those  she  sees  hanging 
from  the  shoulders  of  the  archers  standing  around 
David.  She  means  that  the  cause  of  David  and 
Jehovah  are  identical.  The  slinging  out  of  souls 
{soul  means  life  throughout  the  passage)  is  not 
only  a  powerful  figure,  but  implies  a  covert  com- 
pliment to  David's  prowess  and  early  feat  with  the 
sling.  We  have  placed  the  lines  parallel,  though 
probably  it  is  not  intentional  poetry.  But  it  seems 


104  JUDAS  JE  WELS 

that  whenever  the  Hebrew  mind  became  thor- 
oughly aroused,  and  broke  forth  with  passion,  it 
expressed  itself,  more  or  less  perfectly,  in  those 
natural  forms  which  characterize  its  poetic  lit- 
erature.1 

§5.  Soon  after  his  marriage  with  Abigail,  the 
widow  of  the  rich  fool,  whose  soul  had  been  re- 
quired of  him,  David,  hearing,  probably,  of  new 
schemes  to  entrap  him,  concluded  that  he  could 
do  no  better  than  to  go  into  the  land  of  the  Philis- 
tines.2 So  he  came  to  Gath,  and  offered  his  serv- 
ice to  King  Achish.  He  came  this  time  as  the 
leader  of  a  hardy  band  of  six  hundred  men,  and 
was  received  more  graciously  than  before .  Achish 
gave  him  the  town  Ziklag  for  his  residence  and 
revenue,  and  this  town  ever  thereafter  pertained 
to  the  kings  of  Judah.  Its  exact  locality  is  un- 


JAnother  fine  example  of  this  is  the  lyrical  burst  of  Moses, 
addressed  to  Joshua  as  they  came  down  from  Sinai.  When 
they  heard  from  a  great  distance  the  voice  of  the  people  shout- 
ing, the  prosaic  and  military  Joshua  said,  tersely,  "A  noise  of 
war  in  the  camp."  The  poetic  and  paternal  Moses  replied, 
fluently: 

"Not  the  voice  of  a  shout  for  mastery, 
Nor  the  voice  of  a  cry  for  being  overcome, 
But  the  voice  of  song  do  I  hear." 

(Exodus  xxxii.  18.) 

*i  Samuel  xxvii. 


THE  DESERT  IO$ 

known,  but  must  have  been  somewhere  near  the 
border  of  Philistia,  below  the  latitude  of  Hebron.1 
From  this  base,  David  made  forages  on  the  Ama- 
lekites  and  others,  southward  even  as  far  as  Egypt. 
These  people  were  allies  of  the  Philistines;  but 
David  deceived  Achish,  telling  him  that  his  ex- 
peditions were  against  southern  Judah  and  its  al- 
lies, the  Kenites.  This  confirmed  the  confidence  of 
the  Philistine  king  that  the  breach  between  David 
and  his  people  was  irreconcilable,  and,  therefore, 
thought  he,  he  shall  be  my  servant  forever. 

War  was  renewed  by  the  Philistines  against  Is- 
rael. Achish  enrolled  David  and  his  band  as  his 
bodyguard,  according  to  the  politic  custom,  so 
common  in  all  history,  of  placing  a  guard  of  for- 
eign mercenaries  next  the  person  of  the  king. 
The  Philistine  army  marched  northward,  proba- 


xThe  work  entitled  Names  and  Places  in  the  Old  and  New 
Testament  and  Apocrypha,  -with  Their  Modern  Identifications 
(compiled  by  George  Armstrong,  and  revised  by  Colonel  Sir 
Charles  W.  Wilson  and  Major  Conder:  1888),  says  of  Ziklag: 
"Named  between  Hormah  and  Madmannah,  a  town  of  Sim- 
eon in  Judah.  The  name  'Asluj,  applied  to  a  heap  of  ruins 
south  of  Beersheba  and  seven  miles  to  the  east  of  Bered  (Kha- 
lasah),  was  first  discovered  by  Mr.  Rowlands  in  1842.  (See 
Williams's  Holy  City,  i.  463-468;  Robinson's  Biblical  Researches, 
ii.  201.)  The  name  is  not  very  close  to  the  Hebrew,  but  is  a 
possible  corruption."  (Denny.) 


1 06  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

bly  along  the  seacoast,  and  pitched  in  Shunem, 
on  the  southern  declivity  of  Little  Hermon,  in  full 
view  of  Mount  Gilboa  to  the  southward,  where- 
on the  Israelites  were  encamped.  The  valley  of 
Jezreel  lay  between.  This  was  the  great  battle- 
ground of  Palestine,  on  which  not  only  Israel  often 
contended  with  its  enemies,  but  where  the  tides  of 
Egyptian  and  Assyrian  power  met  in  conflict.1 

David  had  made  great  professions  of  fidelity  to 
Achish,  and  had  won  his  entire  confidence.  But 
the  Philistine  generals  distrusted  him,  and  de- 
manded his  return,  lest,  when  battle  was  joined, 
he  should  fight  against  them.2  Achish  defended 
him,  but  they  persisted.  So  Achish  called  David, 


ii  Samuel  xxviii.  The  Philistines  encamped  on  the  hill 
called,  in  later  times,  Little  Hermon,  on  the  north  side  of  the 
deep  valley  which  runs  down  from  the  plain  of  Jezreel  to  Beth- 
shan  and  the  Jordan;  whilst  Saul's  army  occupied  the  slopes  of 
Gilboa,  on  the  south  of  the  valley.  The  battle  was  fought  on 
nearly  the  same  ground  on  which  Gideon  defeated  the  Midian- 
ites  (Judges  vii.),  and  a  littte  east  of  the  scene  of  Sisera's  de- 
feat by  Barak  (Judges  iv.,  v.),  and  of  Josiah's  by  Pharaoh-necho 
(2  Kings  xxiii.  29,  30).  Thus  the  neighborhood  of  the  plain  of 
Jezreel,  or  Esdraelon,  has  always  been,  both  in  ancient  times 
and  subsequently  in  the  times  of  the  Crusades  and  of  Napoleon, 
the  great  battlefield  of  Palestine;  and  it  is  referred  to  in  Reve- 
lation xvi.  16,  under  the  name  Armageddon,  as  the  scene  of 
the  great  decisive  battle  of  the  future.  (See  Stanley's  Sinai 
and  Palestine,  pp.  329-340.) 

*i  Samuel  xxix. 


THE  DESERT  107 

and  gently  and  most  courteously  told  him  of  the 
disaffection,  assured  him  of  his  own  unshaken  con- 
fidence, but  requested  his  return.  Next  morning 
David  led  his  band  southward  toward  Ziklag.  In 
all  this  Achish  appears  to  great  advantage,  and 
proves  himself  a  royal  gentleman;  whereas  Da- 
*  vid,  we  are  sorry  to  say,  stands  in  dishonorable 
contrast,  as  a  false  betrayer  of  trust. 

When  David  and  his  followers  reached  Ziklag, 
they  found  that  the  Amalekites  had  attacked  and 
sacked  and  burned  the  town,  and  had  carried  off 
as  captives  their  wives,  their  sons,  and  their 
daughters.1  The  men  were  frantic,  and  David 
greatly  distressed.  He  inquired  through  Abia- 
thar  of  the  Lord  by  the  ephod,  was  commanded  to 
pursue,  and  told  that  he  should  recover  all.  We 
need  not  follow.  His  success  was  complete.  On 
returning  to  Ziklag,  he  sent,  of  the  spoil,  presents 
to  the  elders  of  Judah  and  to  their  allies  and  to  all 
his  friends,  widely  scattered  throughout  Judah. 
Thus  he  showed  that  his  interest  was  still  with 
them,  and,  foreseeing,  perhaps,  the  result  of  the 
battle  of  Gilboa,  prepared  the  way  for  his  return 
among  them. 

Very  soon,  a    Bedouin  runner  came  from  the 
battlefield   with  the    news.2     He  was   probably  a 

*i  Samuel  xxx.  *2  Samuel  i. 


1 08  JUDA  'S  JE  WEL  S 

mere  camp-follower,  who,  after  the  battle,  went 
out  to  strip  the  slain,  and  is  said  by  Josephus  to 
have  been  the  son  of  Doeg,  the  executioner  of  the 
priests.  He  announced  the  death  of  Saul  and 
Jonathan,  and  claimed  to  have  given  the  king  his 
deathblow.  This  was  probably  false,  as  his  story 
seems  irreconcilable  with  the  narrative  of  the  his-  * 
torian.  However,  he  had  got  possession  of  Saul's 
crown  and  bracelet,  which  he  laid  at  David's  feet. 
We  see  how  widely  known  ^nd  approved  was  Da- 
vid's claim  to  the  succession.  The  miserable  fel- 
low, however,  was  not  rewarded  as  he  had  hoped; 
for  David  said  unto  him:  Thy  blood  be  upon 
thy  head,  for  thy  mouth  hath  testified  against  thee, 
saying,  I  have  slain  the  Lord's  anointed.  And 
he  called  one  of  the  young  men,  and  said:  Go 
near,  and  fall  upon  him.  And  he  smote  him 
that  he  died.  This  was  an  act  characteristic  of 
the  absolute  oriental  monarch.  David  was  now 
a  king. 

§6.  The  thoroughly  patriotic  and  unselfish  char- 
acter of  David  comes  out  clearly  at  this  juncture. 
He  looked  upon  the  death  of  Saul  and  the  defeat 
of  Israel  by  a  heathen  foe  with  unmixed  sorrow, 
though  it  opened  to  him,  after  long  years  of 
anxious  waiting,  the  way  to  the  throne.  We  read 


THE  DESERT  109 

that:  Then  David  took  hold  on  his  clothes,  and 
rent  them ;  and  likewise  all  the  men  that  were 
with  him ;  and  they  mourned  and  wept  and  fast- 
ed until  even,  for  Saul  and  for  Jonathan  his 
son,  and  for  the  people  of  the  Lord,  and  for  the 
house  of  Israel;  because  they  were  fallen  by  the 
sword. 

That  David's  sorrow  for  Saul  was  sincere,  and 
not  mere  decorum,  is  unquestionable.  So,  too, 
Alexander  wept  over  Darius,  Scipio  over  Carthage, 
Caesar  over  Pompey,  and  Augustus  over  Antony. 
David  also  was  a  man  of  unbounded  generosity, 
and  thoroughly  magnanimous.  He  remembered 
that  Saul  had  lifted  him  with  a  free  hand  to  the 
height  of  prosperity,  and  that  he  was  the  father  of 
his  princess  bride,  the  wife  of  his  youth.  More- 
over, he  remembered  that  Saul  was  plagued  by 
an  evil  spirit;  and,  therefore,  he  could  the  more 
easily  pity  and  forgive  his  wild,  vindictive  conduct. 
Besides  all  this,  there  is  evidence  that  Saul  was 
endowed  with  those  fascinating  personal  qualities 
that  attract  and  attach  men.  He  was  certainly  of 
extraordinary  physical  beauty  and  prowess.  He 
was  generous,  and  warmly  impulsive.  He  was 
liberal  in  dividing  the  spoils  of  battle  among  his 
warriors,  and  many  an  Israelitish  maiden  rejoiced 
in  jewels  the  royal  hand  had  bestowed.  Even  his 


1 10  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

menial  servants,  as  in  the  case  of  Shimei,1  clung 
to  his  memory  with  loyal  devotion.  Samuel  him- 
self, after  Saul  had  provoked  his  severest  censure, 
after  he  had  been  distinctly  rejected  by  Jehovah, 
clung  to  him  with  affection,  and  mourned  for  him 
until  he  himself  incurred  the  divine  rebuke.2  This 
fact  comes  out  curiously  at  the  time  of  the  anoint- 
ing at  Bethlehem.  Whe.n  his  eye  having  first 
fallen  on  the  tall  and  handsome  Eliab,  so  like  to 
Saul  in  outward  appearance,  Samuel  thought, 
Surely  the  Lord  hath  chosen  him.  So,  notwith- 
standing Saul  was  a  tyrant,  full  of  irregular  im- 
pulses and  unaccountable  contradictions,  we  must 
believe  that  he  possessed  that  strange  personal  mag- 
netism which  history  so  often  exhibits  as  belong- 
ing to  kings  and  successful  generals,  and  that 
David,  under  its  influence,  felt  for  him  an  en- 
thusiastic attachment,  which  all  his  wrongs  could 
not  efface. 

But  what  shall  we  say  of  Jonathan  ?  This  was 
a  character  incomparable;  almost  the  only  one  that 
Scripture  history  presents  as  faultless.  Were  it 
not  Scripture,  we  might  fairly  pronounce  the  char- 
acter a  fiction;  yet  mere  imagination  could  hardly 
depict  one  so  truthfully  vivid,  so  well  balanced,  so 
graceful,  so  pure.  He  first  appears  in  the  chival- 

12  Samuel  xvi.  5-8.  *i  Samuel  xvi.  i. 


THE  DESERT 


rous  exploit  at  Michmash,  an  adventure  so  bold, 
and  so  thoroughly  in  the  spirit  of  knight-errantry, 
that  it  would  have  shed  luster  on  Tancred  or 
Amadis  de  Gaul.1  It  was,  however,  most  noble 
in  this,  that  he  acted  in  a  spirit  of  true  piety, 
trusting  in  the  God  of  battles,  saying,  as  he  ven- 
tured himself  against  a  host:  It  is  all  one  to  the 
Lord,  to  conquer  by  many  or  by  few.  A  beau- 
tiful and  a  rare  compound  of  piety,  patriotism, 
and  prowess. 

He  next  appears  giving  his  whole  heart's  affec- 
tions to  the  shepherd  lad  who  had  killed  the  giant 
with  a  sling.2  In  token  of  his  enthusiastic  admira- 
tion, and  as  a  pledge  of  his  friendship,  he  bestows 
his  armor  on  David,  reminding  us  of  Glaucus  ex- 
changing armor  with  Diomede,  "  a  golden  for  a 
brazen,  the  value  of  a  hundred  oxen  for  the  value 
of  nine."3  The  duel  with  the  giant  outshone  the 
exploit  at  Michmash,  but  there  is  no  trace  of  the 

jealousy  that  possessed  Saul,  nothing  but  an  heroic 
magnanimity  that  makes  us  think  better  of  human 
nature  on  finding  it  capable  of  such  lordly  suprem- 
acy over  its  baser  tendencies.  In  all  his  devoted 
friendship,  Jonathan  had  nothing  to  gain,  but  lost 
and  suffered  much;  it  must  have  been  purely  un- 
selfish; it  was  the  sincere  admiration  of  a  nobly 

li  Samuel  xiv.     *  i  Samuel  xviii.  1-4.      3  Iliad,  Bk.  vi.  232. 


112  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

chivalrous  soul,  its  sympathy  with  its  kind.  He 
saw  in  David  a  near  approach  to  that  ideal  of  the 
truly  heroic  which  inflamed  his  heart,  and  utterly 
forgetful  of  himself,  he  renders  to  him  the  homage 
of  a  love  passing  the  love  of  women.  David,  in 
this  relation,  does  not  appear  to  so  great  advan- 
tage, for  we  cannot  at  first  be  sure  that  he  was 
entirely  unselfish,  since  he  had  something  to  gain, 
and  did  gain  largely. 

Jonathan's  attachment  was  not  a  momentary 
impulse.  His  fidelity  was  sorely  proved.  He  had 
very  soon  to  choose  between  David  and  Saul ;  or, 
rather,  so  to  conduct  himself  as  to  be  true  to  his 
friend  and  yet  not  unfilial.1  It  was  a  severe  and 
delicate  trial,  nobly  sustained.  Let  us  observe, 
also,  that  Jonathan,  the  heir  apparent,  soon  be- 
came aware  of  David's  expectation  of  the  crown. 
His  friend,  then,  was  to  be  his  supplanter.  Did  it 
change  him,  or  shake  him?  Not  a  particle,  not 
one  instant.  He  rose  above  it  majestically,  as  a 
noble  ship  surmounts  a  wave.  The  last  interview 
of  the  two  friends  in  the  wilderness  of  Ziph  is 
told  in  a  few  pathetic  words.2  Especially  are  we 
touched  by  the  half-playful,  half-sad  way  in  which 
Jonathan  acquiesces  in  their  inverted  fortunes,  but 
not  in  their  separation :  Thou  shalt  be  king  in  Is- 

1 1  Samuel  xix.  1-7;  xx.  30-34.         2 1  Samuel  xxiii.  15-18. 


THE  DESERT  113 

rael,  and  I  shall  be  next  to  thee.  We  hear  his 
name  no  more  until  his  death  on  the  battlefield 
of  Gilboa. 

§7.  The  heartfelt  sorrow  of  David  found  utter- 
ance at  last  in  an  elegy  celebrating  the  two  heroes, 
and  throbbing  with  grief  at  their  fall.  The  father 
and  son  had  lived  and  died  together,  and  they  were 
not  divided  in  the  lament  of  the  generous  poet. 
Theirs  is  the  finest  and  most  ancient  of  all  dirg- 
es; one,  too,  which  has  inspired  the  noblest  of  all 
dirge  music,  Handel's  Oratorio  of  Saul.  The 
elegy  is  especially  interesting  as  being  the  only 
specimen  of  David's  secular  poetry  which  has 
come  down  to  us;1  for,  curiously  enough,  it  con- 
tains no  reference  to  the  Deity,  and  not  the  least 
trace  of  religious  sentiment.  Its  title  is  quite  ob- 
scure, but  probably  means  to  name  the  poem  The 
Bow,  from  Jonathan's  favorite  weapon.2  In  this 
name  we  can  almost  venture  to  find  the  fancy  that 
the  ode  was  intended  to  send  arrows  of  grief  into 


1  2  Samuel  i.  18,  ff.     The  lament  on  the  death  of  Abner  (2  Sam- 
uel iii.  33,  34)  can  hardly   be  called  another;  it  is  very  brief, 
and  altogether  informal. 

2  We  find  the  bow   referred  to  in  strophe  3.     Perhaps  this 
suggested  the  name,  just  as  the  second  Sura  of  the  Koran  was 
entitled  "  The  Cow  "  from  the  incidental  mention  in  it  of  the 
cow  of  Moses. 

8 


114  JUDA  'vS  JE  WELS 

the  hearts  of  the  people;  for  the  remainder  of 
the  title  is :  For  the  children  of  Judah  to  learn  by 
heart.  At  least  the  intent  was  to  commemorate 
and  embalm  the  dead  in  poesy. 

ELEGY  OF  THE  BOW 

Gazelle  of  Israel,  slain  on  thine  own  mountains ; 
How  are  the  heroes  fallen ! 

i 

Tell  it  not  in  Gath, 

Proclaim  it  not  in  the  streets  of  Askelon ; 
Lest  the  daughters  of  the  Philistines  rejoice, 
Lest  the  daughters  of  the  uncircumcised  triumph. 

ii 

Ye  mountains  of  Gilboa,  be  no  dew  nor  rain  on  you, 
Nor  fields  of  offerings  ; 

For  there  is  defiled  the  shield  of  the  mighty, 
The  shield  of  Saul  not  anointed  with  oil. 


NOTES. — Proem.  On  "gazelle,"  see  remarks  following  the 
ode.  The  second  line  is  a  deep  sigh. 

Strophe  i.  Tell  it  not:  he  did  not  know  that  the  Philistines 
had  obtained  the  bodies  of  the  heroes;  an  evidence  of  the  his- 
toric origin  and  immediate  composition  of  the  ode.— Gath,  the 
royal  city. — Askelon,  the  sacred  city.  The  Athens  and  Eleusis 
or  Delphi  of  Philistia.  Being  separated,  east  and  west,  by  a  con- 
siderable distance,  they  are  put  for  the  whole  land.  (Cf.  "  from 
Dan  to  Beersheba.") — triumph,  as  those  of  Israel  did,  meeting 
the  victors  with  music  and  dance. 

Strophe  2.  Nor  fields  of  offerings,  a  poetical  malediction,  in- 
voking such  complete  barrenness  that  not  even  enough  may 


THE  DESERT 


III 

From  the  blood  of  the  slain, 
From  the  fat  of  the  mighty, 
The  bow  of  Jonathan  turned  not  back, 
The  sword  of  Saul  returned  not  empty. 

IV 

Saul  and  Jonathan,  loving  and  pleasant  in  life, 
In  their  death  undivided  ! 
They  were  swifter  than  eagles  ; 
They  were  stronger  than  lions. 

v 
Ye  daughters  of  Israel, 

Weep  over  Saul, 

Who  clothed  you  in  scarlet  with  delight, 

Who  put  ornaments  of  gold  upon  your  apparel. 

How  are  the  heroes  fallen  in  the  midst  of  the  battle  ! 

O  Jonathan,  slain  on  thine  own  mountains  ! 


grow  on  that  bloody  field  for  an  "offering  of  first-fruits." — de- 
filed, with  dust,  and  the  blood  of  him  it  had  failed  to  protect; 
a  great  indignity.  The  helmet  of  Patroclus  was  rolled  under 
the  horses'  feet,  and  soiled  by  dust  and  blood.  (Iliad,  xvi.  749.) 
— not  anointed,  as  was  usual  before  battle  (see  Isaiah  xxi.  5), 
and  after  its  successful  issue,  for  cleansing  and  preservation; 
hence  this  implies  utter  and  final  defeat,  and  the  death  of  both 
Saul  and  his  armor-bearer. 

Strophe  3.  Fat,  the  best  part.— turned  not  back,  empty.    The 
lines  are  alternately  related.     Cf.  Deuteronomy  xxxii.  42: 

"I  will  make  mine  arrows  drunk  with  blood, 
And  my  sword  shall  devour  flesh." 

Strophe  5.  With   delight:   he   delighted    to   do   it.     Bishop 


1 1 6  JUDA  '5  JE  WELS 

VI 

I  am  distressed  for  thee,  my  brother  Jonathan ; 
Very  pleasant  hast  thou  been  unto  me ; 
Thy  love  to  me  was  wonderful, 
Passing  the  love  of  women. 

How  are  the  heroes  fallen, 

And  perished  the  weapons  of  war ! 


We  can  hardly  venture  to  remark  on  this  ex- 
quisitely tender  ode,  lest,  under  a  rude  touch,  its 
fragrance  and  bloom  may  disappear.  It  is,  by 
unanimous  consent  of  all  critics,  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  in  the  Bible,  which  is  to  say,  one  of 
the  most  beautiful  in  all  literature.  The  common 
versions  are  incorrect  in  places,  and  we  are  com- 
pelled, in  justice  to  truth,  beauty,  and  love,  to  pre- 
sent a  revised  version.  The  structure  is  very  sim- 
ple, the  strophes  are  quite  obvious,  and  one  would 


Lowth  says  that  this  stanza  "is  most  exquisite  composition. 
The  women  of  Israel  are  most  happily  introduced,  and  the 
subject  of  the  encomium  is  most  admirably  adapted  to  the 
female  character."  They  who  had  met  Saul  in  his  returns 
from  victory,  "  with  tabrets,  with  joy,  and  with  instruments  of 
music,"  receiving,  in  his  royal  bounty,  presents  from  the  spoil, 
are  now  called  upon  to  weep  over  him.  (Cf.  Judges  v.  29,  30.) 

Strophe  6.  Passing,  the  sweet,  tender,  devoted,  enduring  love 
with  which  women  love.  The  passionate  tenderness  of  this 
stanza  has  made  it  deservedly  famous. 

Epodc.  Weapons  of  war,  the  heroes  themselves,  as  living 
weapons,  or,  by  metonomy.  Like  a  strain  of  music,  it  closes 
on  the  keynote. 


THE  DESERT  117 

think  the  parallelisms  sufficiently  so,  had  they  not 
been  so  often  missed  by  editors. 

The  gazelle,  named  in  the  proem,  was  so  much 
admired  by  the  Hebrews  and  Arabs  that  they  even 
swore  by  it.  (See  Song  of  Solomon  ii.  7,  iii.  5.) 
Ewald  conjectures  that  Jonathan  was  familiarly 
known  to  the  soldiers  of  Israel  as  "  the  Gazelle," 
on  account  of  his  beauty  and  swiftness.  Both  he 
and  Herder  think  that  this  first  line  refers  to  Jon- 
athan alone ;  but  Dr.  Schaff  and  others  think  Saul 
was  included.  It  seems  to  me  that  the  variation 
of  this  refrain,  as  it  recurs  after  strophe  5,  is  deci- 
sive in  favor  of  the  former  view.  It  is  also  con- 
firmed by  the  way  in  which  the  names  alternate 
throughout,  thus:  Gazelle,  Saul,  Jonathan,  Saul; 
then  Saul  and  Jonathan  (strophe  4);  then  Saul, 
Jonathan,  Jonathan.  The  poet's  thought  turns  in 
his  grief  restlessly  from  one  to  the  other;  a  sort 
of  trial  of  strength  between  generosity  and  love, 
and  love  wins.  The  first  heart  throb  must  have 
been  for  the  dearest,  as  also  is  the  last.  Another 
rendering  of  the  first  phrase  is:  "Thy  glory  (or 
beauty),  O  Israel,  is  slain,"  etc.  This  has  much 
weighty  authority  in  its  favor,  but  the  one  we  have 
presented  is  as  well  authorized,  is  linguistically 
justifiable,  and  far  more  poetical.  We  will  not 
give  it  up.  Of  the  refrain,  Bishop  Lowth  says: 
"  This  recurrence  of  the  same  idea  is  perfectly 
congenial  to  the  nature  of  elegy,  since  grief  is 
fond  of  dwelling  upon  the  particular  objects  of 
the  passion,  and  frequently  repeating  them.  This 
intercalary  period,  or  epode,  is  three  times  in- 
troduced, beautifully  diversified  in  the  order 
and  diction."  ' 


1  In  its  last  form  the  refrain  is  inscribed  in  Latin  on  the  tomb 
of  the  Cid,  near  Burgos,  Spain. 


1 1 8  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

This  monument  to  the  dead,  more  beautiful  and 
enduring  than  sculptured  marble,  is  not  less  a  wit- 
ness of  the  poet's  magnanimity.  It  clearly  man- 
ifests that  lofty  spirit  which  long  afterwards  was 
formulated  into  "love  your  enemies."  But  it  is 
remarkable  that  while  in  this  purely  secular  poem 
we  find  only  love  and  sorrow  and  forgiveness, 
there  are  many  psalms,  the  religious  poems,  con- 
taining bitter  accusations  and  fearful  imprecations, 
which  must  refer  to  Saul.  Why  this  strange  con- 
trast, this  inconsistency  the  reverse  of  what  we 
might  expect?  Is  it  merely  the  natural  revulsion 
of  a  generous  soul  when  his  enemy  is  slain?  Does 
it  not  rather  point  to  the  higher  spiritual  interpre- 
tation of  the  imprecatory  psalms,  which  views  them 
as  expressing,  not  personal  feeling,  but  the  feeling 
of  a  representative  who  resents  insult  and  injury  as 
inflicted  on  the  one  he  represents? 


IV.-THE  MOUNTAIN 


§i.  SOON  after  the  death  of  the  king,  David, 
by  divine  direction,  marched  with  all  his  adher- 
ents to  Hebron.  The  tribe  of  Judah  assembled,  and 
through  the  elders,  recognized  him  as  its  king. 
Amid  public  rejoicings,  he,  now  thirty  years  of 
age,  was  again  anointed.  Hebron  was  the  capital 
of  the  tribe,  and  here  David  reigned  over  Judah 
seven  and  a  half  years.1 

The  victory  of  the  Philistines  gave  them  pos- 
session of  all  the  country  north  of  Judah  and  Ben- 
jamin. Abner,  Saul's  uncle  and  commander  in 
chief,  survived  him,  and  fled  with  the  remnant  of 
the  royal  family  to  Mahanaim,  a  city  east  of  the 
Jordan.  Here  he  proclaimed  the  second  son  of 
Saul,  Ishbosheth,  king  of  Israel,  and  set  to  work 
to  repair  the  fallen  fortunes  of  Saul's  house. 
During  the  next  five  years,  Abner  succeeded  in 
driving  the  Philistines,  step  by  step,  from  the  con- 
quered territory,  and  he  obtained  from  the  eld- 
ers of  Israel  an  acknowledgment  of  Ishbosheth,  a 
mere  puppet  in  his  hands,  as  their  king.  He  then 

iFrom  1056  to  1048  B.C.  {Usher);  2  Samuel  ii.  4;  v.  5. 

(119) 


T  2O  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

turned  his  attention  to  the  southern  kingdom  of 
Judah,  under  David,  and  made  ready  to  reduce  it. 
The  result  was  civil  war,  in  which  David  waxed 
stronger  and  stronger,  and  the  house  of  Saul 
weaker  and  weaker.  Finally,  Abner,  disgusted 
with  his  puppet,  and  despairing  of  success,  turned 
traitor  and  went  over  to  David,  but  was  immediate- 
ly murdered  by  Joab,  David's  nephew  and  com- 
mander in  chief.  This  act,  which  filled  David 
with  shame  and  horror,  was  ostensibly  retaliation, 
Abner  having  killed  in  battle  Joab's  younger 
brother,  Asahel.  But  Joab  really  wished  to  pre- 
vent interference  with  his  own  ambitious  schemes. 
He  could  not  brook  a  rival  near  the  throne.  Very 
soon  afterwards,  Ishbosheth  was  assassinated  by 
some  of  his  underlings,  and  there  then  remained 
no  obstacle  to  the  union  of  the  kingdoms.  So  all 
the  elders  of  Israel  came  to  Hebron,  and  anointed 
David  king  over  Israel. 

We  have  now  followed  our  warrior-poet  from 
his  deep  humiliation  in  the  cave  of  Adullam,  and 
watched  him  mounting,  step  by  step,  toward  the  ful- 
fillment of  his  high  destiny.  He  is  now  king  also 
of  Israel,  and  about  to  enter  on  a  career  of  royal 
dignity  and  power,  but  full  of  trouble  and  sorrow. 
Before  we  proceed,  let  us  ask,  During  all  the  reign 
at  Hebron  was  his  harp  silent?  It  is  impossible  to 


THE  MOUNTAIN  121 


say.1 .  Yet  we  may  be  sure  that  in  those  untold 
years  there  was  a  fuller  development  of  his  char- 
acter. His  strong  youth  was  maturing  into  strong 
manhood,  and  the  ground  was  thus  prepared  for  a 
new  and  extraordinary  series  of  experiences  whose 
echo  should  reverberate  in  resonant  song. 

Let  us  observe  that  two  evils  have  now  made 
their  appearance,  which  subsequently  infected  as 
with  canker  the  vitals  of  the  king's  power,  happi- 
ness, and  personal  excellence.  One  was  the  as- 
cendency which  his  nephews,  Joab  and  Abishai, 
obtained  over  him,  because  they  seemed  necessary 
to  him.  To  their  arrogance  he  weakly  yielded, 
allowing  Joab  especially  to  domineer  over  him, 
and  to  go  unpunished  for  the  murder  of  Abner. 
We  feel  mortified  when  we  hear  David's  querulous 
whine:  These  men,  the  sons  of  Zeruiah,  be  too 
hard  for  me.  The  other  canker  was  the  harem. 

'A  number  of  his  lyrics  might  be  referred  to  this  period,  but 
no  one  by  its  title,  or  by  internal  marks,  certainly  belongs  to  it. 
At  first  glance,  it  seems  that  the  several  psalms  which  contrib- 
ute to  make  up  the  liturgic  ode  in  I  Chronicles  xvi.  must  have 
been-composed  during  the  reign  at  Hebron.  But  eminent  crit- 
ics, especially  Hengstenberg,  show  clearly  that  this  conclusion 
of  nearly  all  early  commentators  is  an  error;  that  the  inter- 
pretation of  the  context  (favored  by  the  Authorized  Version), 
which  concludes  David  to  be  the  compiler,  is  uncritical  and  a 
mistake;  and  that  the  compilation  in  question  is  of  much  later 
date.  So  we  are  without  ground  for  assigning  any  of  David's 
poetry  to  this  period. 


122  JUDA  \S  JE  WELS 

The  evils  of  polygamy  need  no  other  demonstra- 
tion than  is  found  in  the  domestic  miseries  which 
it  brought  upon  this  noble  king.  At  Hebron  were 
born  to  him  of  different  wives  all  those  children, 
excepting  Solomon,  who  played  so  notable  a  part 
in  his  after  history.  This  fact  had  great  influ- 
ence on  the  final  development  of  David's  charac- 
ter, and  on  the  complexion  of  his  later  poetry. 

§2.  Having  accepted  the  united  crown,  David, 
with  statesmanlike  wisdom,  resolved  to  remove  his 
capital  nearer  to  the  center  of  his  realm,  and  that 
jealousies  of  other  tribes  might  be  prevented,  out- 
side his  own  tribal  region.  The  stronghold  of 
Jebus  was  yet  in  the  hands  of  the  Jebusites,  a 
remnant  of  the  ancient  Canaanitish  inhabitants, 
who  had  sustained  a  quasi-siege  of  more  than  four 
centuries.  David  displayed  great  military  sagacity 
in  selecting  this  town  and  citadel,  whose  history 
had  proved  its  strength,  for  his  new  capital.  It 
lay,  too,  only  just  beyond  the  border  of  Judah, 
and  thus  he  does  not  remove  out  of  reach  of  the 
prompt  and  effective  support,  should  there  be  civil 
distractions,  of  his  own  loyal  tribe.  Moreover,  it 
was  excellent  policy  to  inaugurate  his  new  and 
greatly  enlarged  reign  by  a  signal  military  exploit. 
Altogether,  his  idea  was  an  admirable  one,  and 


THE  MOUNTAIN  123 

history  has  vindicated  his  choice  of  the  site;  for 
it  is  the  only  city  in  western  Asia  which,  age 
after  age,  even  until  now,  has  constantly  main- 
tained preeminence  in  its  own  region  as  the  cen- 
ter of  civil  and  military  power.  David  led  out  his 
army  of  veterans,  swelled  now  to  a  vast  host  by 
the  armies  of  Israel,  and  took  the  "  acra"  (as  Jo- 
sephus  characteristically  calls  it)  by  assault,  Joab 
leading  the  way.1  This  was  in  the  year  1046  B.C. 
(  Usher} ;  and  now  the  City  of  David,  Zion,  Jeru- 
salem, enters  on  its  marvelous  history  of  nearly 
thirty  centuries.* 

The  king's  first  care  was  to  fortify.  He  then, 
by  aid  of  Hiram,  king  of  Tyre,  built  for  himself 
a  palace  of  cedar.  Then,  alas !  he  enlarged  his 
seraglio.  Then  he  had  to  defend  himself  against 
the  whole  power  of  the  Philistines.  Alarmed  by 
the  consolidation  of  the  kingdom,  by  the  fall  of 
Jebus,  by  the  rapid  increase  of  David's  royal 
power,  they  gathered  an  immense  force  to  check 
the  growing  danger  ere  it  should  be  too  late.  But 
it  was  already  too  late.  In  two  decisive  battles 
David  so  broke  the  Philistine  power  that  thence- 
forth it  acted  only  on  the  defensive,  and  ceased  to 
play  a  prominent  part  in  the  history  of  Israel. 

12  Samuel  v. 


1 24  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

§3.  Now  our  hero-king,  whom  we  have  fol- 
lowed and  loved  from  boyhood,  has  leisure  to 
think  of  his  internal  administration.  "  Zion  was 
his  seat,  but  the  new  state  had  to  be  organized, 
and  the  great  officers  of  state  and  of  the  house- 
hold to  be  chosen.  He  was  standing  on  the 
threshold  of  the  most  critical  period  of  his  life, 
and  did  not  yet  feel  himself  equal  to  the  task 
which  devolved  upon  him.  Still,  in  the  first  pe- 
riod of  his  reign  in  Jerusalem,  in  the  flush  of  vic- 
tory, in  the  full  splendor  of  his  newly  acquired 
domain,  David  is  only  the  more  earnest  in  look- 
ing to  Jehovah,  in  striving  to  purify  his  own  heart, 
and  to  form  wise  measures  for  the  conduct  of  a 
strong  and  righteous  rule,  and  in  the  resolution  to 
keep  far  from  him  all  that  would  bring  reproach 
upon  himself  and  a  stain  upon  his  court."1  He 
has  left  us  an  exquisite  little  poetical  summary  of 
the  principles  by  which  he  proposed  to  govern 
himself  and  select  his  ministers.  We  might  al- 
most think  of  it  as  a  rhythmical  memorandum, 
dropped  from  the  notebook  of  the  poet-king,  of 
good  resolutions  respecting  his  own  official  con- 
duct, and  of  the  qualifications  he  deemed  requi- 
site in  his  ministers  of  state,  and  also  of  his  deter- 
mination to  purify  his  domain  of  evil-doers.  This 

1  Ewald,  in  History  of  Israel,  ad  loc. 


THE  MOUNTAIN  125 

Psalm  ci.  Luther  calls  the  "  Mirror  of  Rulers." 
Let  us  contemplate  its  earnest,  sincere,  truth- 
loving,  lofty,  princely  spirit: 

i 

I  will  sing  of  mercy  and  judgment ; 

Unto  thee,  O  LORD,  will  I  sing. 
I  will  behave  myself  wisely  in  a  perfect  way  ; 

Oh  when  wilt  thou  come  unto  me? 

n 
I  will  walk  within  mine  house 

With  a  perfect  heart. 
I  will  set  no  base  thing 

Before  mine  eyes. 

in 
I  hate  the  work  of  them  that  turn  aside ; 

It  shall  not  cleave  unto  me. 
A  f reward  heart  shall  depart  from  me ; 

I  will  not  know  an  evil  person. 


NOTES. — The  psalm  begins  and  ends  with  Jehovah.  It  ex- 
pands from  his  own  personal  conduct  (strophes  I  and  2)  to  that 
of  his  associates  (strophes  3  and  4),  then  of  his  ministers  (stro- 
phes 5  and  6),  then  of  his  subjects  (strophe  7).  Yet  its  unity 
is  perfect;  one  general  thought  being  variously  applied. 

Strophe  r.  Mercy  and  judgment,  attributes  of  God  to  be 
imitated  by  the  king. — Oh  when,  asks  either,  When  wilt  thou 
assist  me  so  to  do?  or,  perhaps  it  alludes  to  his  desire  already 
formed,  to  bring  the  Ark  to  Zion.  (The  latter  is  the  view  of 
Tholuck,  Hammond,  ct  «/.) 

Strophe  3.  Turn  aside,  transgress. — know,  approve,  cherish. 


1 26  JUDA  '.S  JE  WELS 

IV 
Whoso  privily  slandereth  his  neighbor, 

Him  will  I  destroy  ; 
Him  that  hath  a  high  look  and  a  proud  heart 

Will  I  not  suffer. 

v 

Mine  eyes  shall  be  upon  the  faithful  of  the  land, 

That  they  may  dwell  with  me ; 
He  that  walketh  in  a  perfect  way, 

He  shall  minister  unto  me. 

vi  ' 

He  that  worketh  deceit 

Shall  not  dwell  within  my  house ; 
He  that  speaketh  falsehood 

Shall  not  be  established  before  mine  eyes. 

VII 

Early  will  I  destroy 

All  the  wicked  of  the  land ; 
To  cut  off  all  the  workers  of  iniquity 

From  the  city  of  the  LORD. 

There  seem  to  be  frequent  allusions  to  this  psalm 
in  the  book  of  Proverbs,  to  which  it  is  quite  simi- 
lar in  tone.  There  are  seven  strophes,  the  sacred 
number.  The  structure  is  very  simple  and  remark- 

Strophe  7.  Early,  day  by  day,  each  morning  continuously;  is 
the  repetitive  force  of  the  Hebrew. — cut  off,  drive  out. — the 
city  of  the  Lord,  Zion.  The  theocratic  king  acknowledges 
himself  a  mere  vicegerent. 


THE  MOUNTAIN  127 

ably  regular,  each  strophe  being  a  quatrain.  Pe- 
rowne  says:  "  This  psalm  falls  in  admirably  with 
the  first  part  of  David's  reign,  and  the  words  are 
just  what  we  might  expect  from  one  who  came  to 
the  throne  with  a  heart  so  true  to  his  God."  It 
is  related  that  Duke  Earnest,  the  Pious,  sent  a 
copy  of  it  on  one  occasion  to  an  unfaithful  min- 
ister of  his  court,  and  that  thereafter  when  any 
official  was  guilty  of  misconduct  it  was  the  custom 
to  say:  He  will  certainly  soon  have  to  read  the 
prince's  psalm. 

§4.  Now  that  David  was  firmly  established 
king  of  Israel  at  Jerusalem,  he  began  to  look  into 
the  great  future,  and  plan  for  the  accomplishment 
of  his  heart's  chief  desire.  A  twofold  work  was 
appointed  him:  to  establish  the  worship  of  Jeho- 
vah in  the  place  he  had  chosen  for  his  special 
abode,  and  to  extend  the  kingdom  of  Israel  to  the 
bounds  promised  to  the  fathers.  The  first  of  these 
now  impressed  his  thoughts.  The  Ark  of  God 
had  rested  in  obscurity  for  twenty  years  past  at 
Kirjath-jearim,  a  town  whose  locality  is  usually 
understood  to  have  been  at  the  eastern  end  of 
Wady  Aly,  about  eight  miles  from  Jerusalem  on 
the  road  to  Jaffa.1  David  had  proposed  to  the 

'The  work  entitled  Names  and  Places  says:  "Kh.  'Erma  (*) 
or  Kuriet  el  'E  ab  (?)."  This  line  gives  the  modern  name  of 
the  place,  and  the  *  means,  due  to  the  survey  of  Palestine  con- 
ducted by  the  Palestine  Exploration  Fund.  The  book,  Names 
and  Places,  continues :  "Also  called  '  Baalah,' '  Kirjath-Baal,' '  Kir- 


1 28  JUDA  VS  JE  WELS 

tribes  who  gathered  at  Hebron  to  bring  it  up,  but 
wars  had  prevented.  He  was  now  in  condition  to 
carry  out  his  project. 

In  order  to  appreciate  the  significance  of  this 
great  movement,  we  must  glance  at  the  constitu- 
tion of  the  Israelitish  state.  At  Sinai,  where  the 
nation  was  organized,  it  accepted,  through  Moses, 
Jehovah  as  its  temporal  and  eternal  King,  and  en- 
tered into  covenant  with  him  as  such.  Jehovah 
enacted  the  code  of  laws — moral,  ceremonial, 
civil.  His  visible  presence  accompanied  the  wan- 
derings and  the  wars  of  conquest,  dwelling  in  the 
midst  of  the  camp  in  a  royal  tent,  where  he  re- 
ceived the  homage  of  his  subjects.  The  Ark  of 
the  Covenant  was  his  throne,  whence  he  issued 
commands  and  pronounced  judgments  through 

jath-Arin,'  (?)  'Kirjath.'  On  the  boundary  line  between  Ben- 
jamin and  Judah,  a  city  belonging  to  the  latter.  Eusebius 
and  Jerome  (Onomasticon-'Cariathiarim')  describe  it  as  a  vil- 
lage at  the  ninth  or  tenth  mile  between  Jerusalem  and  Lydda. 
Kuriet  el  'Enab,  seven  and  a  half  miles  from  Jerusalem  on  the 
Jaffa  road,  was  first  proposed  by  Dr.  Robinson  {Biblical  Re- 
searches, ii.  n),  and  has  generally  been  the  accepted  site,  till  a 
ruin  of  the  name  of  'Erma'  was  found  during  the  progress  of 
the  Western  Survey,  which  Captain  Conder  proposes  to  iden- 
tify with  Jearim.  Its  position  is  four  miles  west  of  the  hill 
overlooking  Uethshemesh,  and  about  twelve  miles  from  Jeru- 
salem." On  the  great  map,  scale  one  inch  to  the  mile,  the  dis- 
tance is  eleven  miles.  (Denny.) 


THE  MOUNTAIN  129 

his  ministers  of  state.  Impersonated  in  the  "Cap- 
tain of  the  Lord's  Host,"  he  led  the  armies  and 
fought  the  battles.  After  the  conquest  of  the 
promised  land,  he  continued  to  dwell  in  his  tent, 
the  tabernacle,  and  was  still  recognized  as  the 
supreme  and  peculiar  ruler  of  this  people.  The 
nation  for  four  centuries  was  without  other  osten- 
sible head,  the  judges  being  only  occasional  deliv- 
erers, raised  up  from  time  to  time  to  accomplish 
special  ends,  and  were  rulers  in  no  other  sense. 
Samuel,  however,  was  both  judge  and  prophet,  and 
in  this  lajter  capacity  communicated  the  will  of  the 
king  to  his  people,  and  thus  ruled  the  land  as  a  com- 
missioner. Such,  in  brief,  was  the  essential  element 
of  the  theocratic  constitution  and  its  history. 

The  rude  people,  now  twelve  generations  re- 
moved from  Sinai  and  the  wonders  of  the  wander- 
ings, seemed  to  lose  sight  of  this  peculiar  and  glo- 
rious relation,  and  asked  Samuel  that  they,  like 
the  surrounding  nations,  might  have  a  king.  Je- 
hovah consented,  not  abdicating  the  throne,  but 
appointing  a  vicegerent.  Saul  was  chosen,  but 
willfully  refused  or  neglected  to  observe  the  rela- 
tion, disobeyed  the  royal  commands,  and  was  re- 
jected. David  was  now  chosen.  He  seems  to  have 
had  throughout  a  proper  conception  of  his  posi- 
tion as  vicegerent.  This  appears  repeatedly  in  his 


1 30  JUDA  '5  JB  WBLS 

history,  and  comes  to  the  surface  in  many  expres- 
sions of  the  psalms — e.g.>  his  Psalm  of  Praise  cxlv. 
begins:  I  will  extol  thee,  my  God,  O  King. 

During  the  distractions  of  Saul's  reign,  and  of 
David's  until  now,  the  theocratic  element  was  not 
formally  recognized.  The  Ark,  Jehovah's  sym- 
bol, was  in  exile,  his  priests  had  been  slaughtered, 
his  tent  was  neglected  and  almost  in  ruins,  the 
homage  of  sacrifice  had  nearly  ceased,  and  no 
one  sought  the  King  of  Israel.  But  we  should 
not  say  no  one;  for,  since  the  day  that  Abiathar 
brought  the  ephod  to  Keilah,  David  had  Diligently 
inquired  of  the  Lord,  and  ordered  his  ways  by  di- 
vine direction.  Glorying  in  his  relation  of  subor- 
dinate king,  he  longed  for  the  day  when  he  could 
make  it  manifest  clearly  to  the  eyes  of  the  nation, 
and  reestablish  the  public  worship  and  authority 
of  the  rightful,  covenanted,  and  everlasting  King. 
The  unknown  author  of  Psalm  cxxxii.,  writing  aft- 
er this  time,  tells  us  of  David's  anxiety: 

How  he  sware  unto  Jehovah, 

And  did  vow  unto  the  mighty  one  of  Jacob : 

I  will  not  enter  into  the  tent  of  my  house, 

I  will  not  go  up  on  the  couch  of  my  bed, 

I  will  not  give  sleep  to  mine  eyes 

Nor  slumber  to  mine  eyelids, 

Until  I  shall  find  a  place  for  Jehovah, 

A  dwelling  for  the  mighty  one  of  Jacob. 


THE  MOUNTAIN  131 

The  day  had  now  come.  With  a  select  army 
of  thirty  thousand  men  as  an  escort  for  the  Ark, 
he  goes  to  Kirjath-jearim.1  The  Ark  is  placed 
on  a  new  vehicle,  and  the  march  begun.  Soon, 
however,  there  was  a  melancholy  check — the 
death  of  Uzzah.  David  saw  that  something  was 
wrong.  So  the  Ark  was  left  at  a  wayside  house, 
the  house  of  Obed-edom,  and  the  king  and  his 
military  array  returned  to  Jerusalem. 

After  anxiously  considering  the  matter,  David 
concluded  that  though  his  King  was  the  Lord  of 
hosts,  the  God  of  Sabaoth,  yet  the  exclusively 
military  attendance  was  not  acceptable  to  him. 
Moreover,  the  preparations  for  his  reception  at 
Jerusalem  were  not  suitable  nor  sufficient.  He 
therefore  made  large  preparations.  The  old  tab- 
ernacle at  Shiloh,  doubtless  much  impaired  by 
age,  he  did  not  remove,  but  a  new  one  was  con- 
structed and  set  up  on  Zion.  He  also  arranged 
an  elaborate  musical  ceremonial,  a  choral  installa- 
tion service  for  the  occasion.  He  then  assembled 
the  three  families  of  the  house  of  Levi,  with  the 
sons  of  Aaron  and  the  high  priests  of  both 
branches — Zadok,  of  the  house  of  Eleazar;  and 
Abiathar,  of  the  house  of  Ithamar.  And  he  said 
unto  them:  Ye  are  the  chief  of  the  fathers  of 

1  2  Samuel  vi. 


132  JUDA  '61  JE  WELS 

the  Levites;  sanctify  yourselves,  both  ye  and  your 
brethren,  that  ye  may  bring  up  the  Ark  of  the 
Lord  God  of  Israel  unto  the  place  that  I  have 
prepared  for  it.  For  because  ye  did  it  not  at  the 
first,  the  Lord  our  God  made  a  breach  upon  us,  for 
that  we  sought  him  not  after  the  due  order.1 

Three  months  had  passed  since  the  first  move- 
ment. Now  the  priestly  array,  attended  subordi- 
nately  by  David  and  his  chosen  warriors  and  the 
elders  of  the  tribes,  repairs  to  the  resting  place  of 
the  Ark.  The  Levites,  having  taken  it  up,  bear 
it  in  the  due  order  upon  their  shoulders  in  the 
midst  of  the  priestly  procession.  The  first  move- 
ment is  watched  by  all  with  deep  anxiety,  lest 
Jehovah's  displeasure  should  again  appear;  but 
especially  by  David,  who  thus  invokes  the  favor 
of  his  King: 

Arise,  O  Lord,  unto  thy  resting  place, 
Thou  and  the  Ark  of  thy  strength. 
Let  thy  priests  be  clothed  with  righteousness, 
And  let  thy  saints  shout  for  joy.2 

After  the  procession  had  advanced  "six  paces  " 3 
toward  Jerusalem,  a  halt  was  made,  and  sacri- 


'i  Chronicles  xv.  12,  13.  2 Psalm  cxxxii.  8,  9. 

"This    probably    means    something    like   six   stadia,   which 
would  be  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile. 


THE  MOUNTAIN  133 

fices  offered  of  seven  bullocks  and  seven  rams. 
After  joyful  thanksgiving  for  assured  favor  and 
success,  the  stately  march  was  resumed. 

§  6.  We  must  try  to  imagine  the  scene.  The 
road  up  to  Jerusalem  is  thronged  with  thousands 
of  glad  people.  The  procession  advances  with 
the  holy  Ark  borne  on  the  shoulders  of  Levites. 
Before  and  behind  and  beside  are  ranks  of  priests 
in  their  rich  sacerdotal  robes.  Farther  forward 
are  bands  of  music  making  a  joyful  noise  with 
cornets  and  trumpets  and  cymbals  and  psalteries 
and  harps.  Next  beyond  are  troops  of  maidens, 
dancing  with  timbrels.  In  the  van  are  trained 
choirs  chanting,  in  the  intervals  of  instrumental 
music,  the  appointed  anthems — a  grand  proces- 
sional oratorio.  Around  about  are  distributed  the 
veteran  cohorts  of  Israel,  in  military  splendor, 
guarding  the  holy  throne  of  their  Captain  and 
King  in  its  progress  to  his  chosen  capital.  We 
observe  here  the  marked  features  of  a  triumphal 
procession.  The  foes  of  Israel  had  been  quelled 
after  many  hard-fought  battles,  and  peace  had 
been  conquered.  The  Lord  of  hosts  was  with 
them,  and  they  are  bearing  the  symbol  of  his 
presence  to  Zion.  Accordingly,  we  find  a  note  of 
victory  and  triumph,  otherwise  inexplicable,  sound- 


1 34  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

ing  through  all  the  odes  connected  with  this  great 
festival. 

There  is  an  open  space  in  the  august  proces- 
sion immediately  in  front  of  the  sacred  Ark.  Here 
we  see  alone  the  warrior-chief  who  had  led  the 
armies  of  Israel  to  their  victories,  but  now  without 
armor,  without  weapons.  We  see  him,  the  repre- 
sentative king  of  Israel,  but  now  without  royal 
robes,  without  crown,  without  scepter.  All  these 
have  been  humbly  laid  aside  as  baubles  in  that 
holy,  supreme  presence,  and,  clothed  only  in  a 
linen  ephod,  the  simple  robe  of  a  priestly  wor- 
shiper, with  head  and  feet  bare,  and  with  a  harp 
of  praise  in  his  hand,  David  sounds  the  trembling 
chords,  and  sings  in  joyful  strains,  and  dances 
before  the  Lord.  What  a  picture !  No  wonder 
the  great  painters  have  so  often  striven  to  depict 
its  striking  contrasts  and  thrilling  significance. 
And  when  does  David  appear  nobler,  more  ex- 
alted, more  true,  more  admirable  than  in  this  burst 
of  holy  enthusiasm,  this  full,  emphatic  recognition 
and  public  symbolic  expression  of  his  own  noth- 
ingness in  the  presence  of  Jehovah,  who  had  hon- 
ored him  as  his  instrument  and  representative? 
When  he  thus  uncovered  himself  in  the  eyes  of 
the  people  before  the  Lord,  he  reached  the  climax 
of  his  life. 


THE  MOUNTAIN  135 

But  the  eye  of  inspiration,  glancing  upward, 
sees  something  higher  than  this  terrestrial  array. 
There  is  a  triumph  in  the  skies.  Jehovah,  with 
ten  thousand  of  his  saints  and  an  innumerable 
company  of  cherubic  warriors  in  myriad  chariots 
of  fire,  is  advancing  amid  hallelujahs  to  the  mount 
of  God.  The  march  below  is  but  an  emblem  of 
the  progress  of  the  heavenly  host,  and  both  are 
prophetic  of  that  culminating  triumph,  the  return 
of  the  ascending  Redeemer,  who,  having  spoiled 
principalities  and  powers,  and  leading  captivity 
captive,  made  a  show  of  them  openly,  triumphing 
over  them  in  it.  Hosanna  to  the  Son  of  David ! 
Blessed  is  he  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord ! 
The  conception,  in  its  richness  and  sublimity,  is 
unparalleled,  too  vast  and  holy  for  human  words. 

With  this  scene  before  our  eyes,  let  us  listen  to 
the  anthem  of  the  Levite  choirs,  and  try  to  catch 
its  spirit,  follow  its  soarings,  and  comprehend 
something  of  its  mysteries.  The  ode,  so  grand, 
so  archaic,  so  alone  like  a  pyramid,  must,  not- 
withstanding its  length  and  obscurities,  detain  our 
attentive  ear.  Conceive  the  chanting  to  begin 
after  the  sacrifices,  as  the  Ark  is  lifted  and  the 
march  resumed.  The  opening  words  awaken  the 
most  precious  memories  of  Israel  by  repeating 
the  ancient  watchword  which  Moses  designated 


1 36  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

to  be  used  in  the  wanderings  when  the  Ark  was 
lifted  for  an  onward  march: 

i 
Let  God  arise, 

Let  his  enemies  be  scattered, 

Let  them  that  hate  him  flee  before  him. 

As  smoke  is  driven  away, 

So  drive  them  away  ; 
As  wax  melteth  before  the  fire, 

So  let  the  wicked  perish  at  the  presence  of  God. 
But  let  the  righteous  be  glad, 
Let  them  exult  before  God  ; 
Yea,  let  them  rejoice  wit^i  gladness. 

ii 
Sing  unto  God, 

Sing  praises  to  his  name ; 

Cast  up  a  highway  for  him  that  rideth  through  the 
His  name  is  JAH  ;  [deserts, 

And  exult  ye  before  him. 


NOTES. — Strophe  i.  The  first  three  lines  are  quoted  from 
Numbers  x.  35.  The  address  is  directed  rather  to  the  Shekinah 
than  to  the  Ark.  The  figures  of  smoke  and  fire  in  the  next 
stanza,  Herder  insists,  were  suggested  by  the  pillar  of  cloud  and 
fire  that  rested  on  the  Ark.  (Cf.  Leviticus  x.  2 :  "And  there  went 
a  fire  from  the  Lord,  and  devoured  them,  and  they  died  before 
the  Lord.")  History,  however,  does  not  mention  the  Shekinah 
from  the  time  of  entering  Canaan  until  the  dedication  of  the  tem- 
ple, and  it  is  questionable  whether  in  this  interval  it  was  appar- 
ent only  on  special  occasions,  like  the  present,  or  not  at  all. 

Strophe  2.  Cast  up  a  highway,  the  customary  preparation  by 


THE  MOUNTAIN  137 

ill 

A  father  of  the  fatherless, 
And  a  judge  of  the  widows, 

Is  God  in  his  holy  habitation* 

God  maketh  the  solitary  to  dwell  in  families ; 
He  bringeth  out  the  prisoners  into  prosperity  ; 
Only  the  rebellious  dwell  in  a  parched  land. 

The  choirs  having  thus,  perhaps  responsively, 
extolled  God's  might  and  mercy,  now  celebrate 
his  miraculous  wonders  and  providence  during 
the  wanderings: 

IV 

O  God,  when  thou  wentest  forth  before  thy  people, 
When  thou  didst  march  through  the  wilderness, 
The  earth  trembled, 
Yea,  the  heavens  also  dropped 

At  the  presence  of  God ; 
Even  that  Sinai 

At  the  presence  of  God, 

The  God  of  Israel. 


pioneers  for  the  march  of  an  eastern  monarch  and  his  armies 
over  pathless  wastes.  (Cf.  Isaiah  xl.  3,  4,  where  the  prophet 
adopts  this  figure,  which  was  afterwards  applied  to  John  the 
Baptist — Matthew  iii.  3.) — Jah,  the  abbreviated  form  of  Jeho- 
vah, familiar  to  us  in  the  last  syllable  of  the  word  hallelujah. 
It  is  frequent  in  the  psalms,  and  first  occurs  in  the  Song  of 
Moses.  (Exodus  xv.  2.) 

Strophe  4.  The  heavens  dropped,  a  storm  of  rain.     The  en- 
tire strophe  is  a  quotation,  adapted  and  abbreviated,  from  the 


JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

V 
With  plentiful  rain,  O  God, 

Thou  didst  confirm  thine  heritage, 
And  when  it  was  weary 

Thou  didst  raise  it  up. 
Thy  congregation  dwelt  therein ; 

Thou,  O  God,  didst  provide  of  thy  goodness  for  the 

[  poor. 

Now  are  celebrated    God's  victories   over   the 
foes  of  his  people: 

VI 

The  Lord  giveth  the  word ; 

The  women  that  publish  the  tidings  are  a  great  host. 
Kings  of  armies  flee,  they  flee ; 

And  she  that  tarrieth  at  home  divideth  the  spoil. 


triumphant  Song  of  Deborah.  (Judges  v.  4,  5.)  This  was  a 
national  ode,  doubtless  familiar  to  the  people  in  the  time  of 
David,  and  the  present  use  of  it  was  well  calculated  to  fan  the 
fires  of  patriotism.  By  referring  to  it  we  find  that  the  heav- 
ens dropped  water  and  Sinai  melted. 

Strophe  5.  Plentiful  rain,  of  manna,  which  is  expressly  called 
rain  in  Exodus  xvi.  4.  It  includes  the  general  bestowal  of 
gifts  which  come  down  from  heaven  freely  and  richly. — thine 
heritage,  thy  people. — dwelt  therein,  in  the  abundant  shower 
of  gifts  and  blessings. — the  poor,  the  needy  and  toil-worn 
wanderer. 

Strophe.  6.  Giveth  the  word,  of  authority  or  command,  the 
blast  of  the  trumpet,  the  signal  for  the  onset. — women:  the 
psalmist  is  still  thinking  of  Deborah;  also,  perhaps,  of  Miriam 


THE  MOUNTAIN  139 

VII 
Will  ye  lie  among  the  sheepfolds? 

It  is  as  the  wings  of  the  dove  covered  with  silver, 
And  her  pinions  with  yellow  gold. 

When  the  Almighty  scattered  kings  therein, 
It  was  snow-white  on  Salmon. 

The  moving  procession  has  now  come  within 
sight  of  Mount  Zion,  and  the  choirs  exult  in  God's 
choice  of  it  for  a  perpetual  dwelling,  and  in  his 
taking  possession  of  it  with  power,  attended  by 
an  innumerable  train : 


and  her  chorus  (Exodus  xv.  20),  and  of  those  who  met  Saul 
and  himself  returning  in  triumph  (i  Samuel  xviii.  6). — kings 
of  armies,  of  hosts,  in  ironical  contrast  with  the  God  of  Sab- 
aoth,  cf.  Judges  v.  19. — she  that  tarrieth;  cf.  Song  of  Deborah 
Judges  v.  28-30. 

Strophe  7.  Will  ye,  a  sharp  remonstrance  against  tame  inac- 
tion.    So  Deborah : 

Why  abodest  thou  among  the  sheepfolds? 
To  hear  the  bleatings  of  the  flocks? 

(Judges  v.  16.) 

The  meaning  of  the  two  following  lines  is  very  obscure.  We 
accept  the  view  adopted  by  Moll,  that  the  rapid  flight  of  the 
enemy  is  symbolized,  and  the  glistening  richness  of  the  booty 
is  pointed  out  to  inflame  Israel  in  the  pursuit.  The  last  line, 
"  It  was  snow-white  on  Salmon,"  is  also  an  enigma.  We  have 
adopted  Conant's  rendering;  his  explanation  is:  "Salmon,  an 
eminence  probably  in  the  vicinity  of  Shechem,  snow-white 
with  the  bones  of  the  slain." 


1 40  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

VIII 

A  mountain  of  God  is  the  mountain  of  Bashan ; 
A  mountain  of  summits  is  the  mountain  of  Bashan. 
Why  look  ye  with  envy,  ye  many  mountain  peaks, 
At  the  mountain  where  God  hath  chosen  to  dwell? 
Yea,  here  will  JEHOVAH  forever  abide. 

IX 

The  chariots  of  God  are  myriad-fold, 
Thousands  upon  thousands ; 
The  Lord  is  among  them. 
A  Sinai  in  sanctity  ! 
x 

Thou  hast  ascended  on  high, 
Thou  hast  led  away  captives, 

Thou  hast  received  gifts  of  men,  and  even  of  rebels, 
In  order  that  JAH,  God,  may  dwell  there. 

Strophe  8.  A  mountain  of  God — Bashan;  this  was  the  re- 
gion of  basaltic  rocks  east  of  Galilee,  and  south  of  Damascus, 
very  broken,  mountainous,  and  abounding  in  conical  peaks.  The 
district  was  conquered  by  Moses,  and  hence  its  mountains,  as 
well  as  Sinai,  were  mountains  of  God.  But  God  did  not  choose 
them  for  a  dwelling;  hence  these  peaks  are  represented  as 
looking  down,  as  from  the  outer  world,  with  envy  on  the  lowly 
hill  of  Zion.  What  superb  poetry!  "The  joyous,  exulting, tri- 
umphant air  of  the  original  here  can  hardly  be  imitated  in  any 
rendering."  (Dean  of  Wells.) 

Strophe  9.  A  procession  in  the  skies. — chariots,  the  symbol 
of  sovereign  power  and  of  triumphant  victory.  God  came  to 
Sinai  with  ten  thousands  of  saints.  (Deuteronomy  xxxiii.  2; 
Acts  vii.  53;  Galatians  iii.  19.)  Jehovah  is  now  manifest  on 
Zion,  as  once  on  Sinai. 


THE  MOUNTAIN  14! 


Israel   is  now  assured  of    support,   and   of  the 
ruin  of  God's  enemies: 

XI 

Blessed  be  the  LORD,  day  by  day ! 

Are  we  burdened?  he,  God,  is  our  help. 

God  is  unto  us  a  God  of  deliverances,  [death. 

And    to  JEHOVAH    the    Lord    belongeth  escape  from 

XII 

Surely  God  will  crush  the  head  of  his  enemies, 
The  hairy  crown  of  him  that  goeth  on  in  his  trespasses. 
The  Lord  hath  said  :  From  Bashan  will  I  bring  back, 
I  will  bring  them  again  from  the  depths  of  the  sea ; 
That  thou  mayest  bathe  thy  foot  in  blood,  [mies. 

The  tongue  of  thy  dogs  have  its  portion  of  thine  ene- 


Strophe  10.  Hast  led,  in  the  train  of  the  victor.  So  Debo- 
rah: "Arise,  Barak,  and  lead  thy  captivity  captive."  (Judges 
v.  12.)  In  the  title  of  this  psalm  in  the  LXX.  we  read, 
"When  the  house  was  built  after  the  captivity."  Hence  this 
may  refer  primarily  to  the  captivity  of  the  Ark  in  Philistia. 
(Cf.  Psalm  Ixxviii.  61.) — gifts  of  men,  consisting  of  men.  St. 
Paul,  in  Ephesians  iv.  8,  quotes  the  words  thus:  "And  gave  gifts 
unto  men."  The  Hebrew  will  not  bear  this  rendering.  "Yet 
from  the  standpoint  of  its  fulfillment  in  the  victorious  march 
of  the  triumphant  Redeemer  (Colossians  ii.  15),  it  is  applied  in 
such  a  way  that  the  thought  comes  out  that  the  conqueror  has 
taken  to  himself  these  gifts,  which  constitute  his  spoils,  not  for 
his  own  enrichment,  but  for  the  benefit  of  man."  (Moll.) 

Strophe  //.  Escape;  the  expression  is  so  comprehensive 
that  it  can  mean  the  escape  from  death  to  eternal  life.  (Moll.) 


1 4  2  JUDA  'S  /S  WELS 


The  order  of  the  march  is  now  described: 

XIII 

They  have  seen  thy  processions,  O  God, 
Even  the  processions  of  my  God, 
Of  my  King,  in  the  sanctuary. 

Before  went  the  singers, 

The  minstrels  followed  after, 

In  the  midst,  maidens  heating  on  timbrels. 

They  bless  God  in  companies, 

The  Lord,  they  that  are  of  the  fountain  of  Israel. 

There  is  little  Benjamin,  their  ruler, 

Princes  of  J'udah,  their  multitude, 

Princes  of  Zebulun, 

Princes  of  Naphtali. 

. » 

There  is  an  expression  of  the  highest  triumph  in  the  rhymes  [?] 
at  the  ends  of  the  verses  in  the  Hebrew.  (Bottcher.) 

Stroflic  12.  Hairy  crown,  luxuriant  hair,  the  sign  of  youth 
and  strength — e.g.,  Absalom,  Samson.  What  follows  may  be 
paraphrased  thus:  The  Lord  hath  said,  Though  my  scattered 
foes  hide  amid  the  hills  of  Bashan,  or  in  the  depths  of  the  Dead 
Sea,  yet  will  I  capture  and  bring  them  back,  that  ye  may  take 
vengeance  on  them. 

Strophe  13.  They  have  seen,  all  men,  friends  and  foes. — my 
King,  is  emphatic  in  the  Hebrew.  It  recognizes  the  theocratic 
relation. — the  fountain  of  Israel — i.  e.,  stock  of  Israel.  Quite 
similarly  in  Isaiah  xlviii.  i: 

Hear  ye  this,  O  house  of  Jacob, 

Which  are  called  by  the  name  of  Israel, 

And  are  come  forth  out  of  the  waters  of  Judah. 

(Cf.  also  Isaiah  li.  i.) — little  Benjamin,  the  youngest  son;  or, 


THE  MOUNTAIN  143 

Future  conquests  are  anticipated,  and  the  sub- 
jection of  the  whole  world  predicted.  All  king- 
doms are  summoned  to  praise  God,  and  to  ac- 
knowledge his  power: 

XIV 

Thy  God  hath  commanded  thy  strength ; 
Strengthen,  O  God,  what  thou  hast  wrought  for  us. 
Because  of  thy  temple  at  Jerusalem, 
Kings  shall  bring  presents  unto  thee. 

Rebuke  the  wild  beast  of  the  reeds, 

The  bulls,  with  the  calves  of  the  peoples 
Prostrating  themselves  with  pieces  of  silver. 

Scatter  the  peoples  that  delight  in  war. 

Princes  shall  come  out  of  Egypt ; 

Ethiopia  shall  eagerly  stretch  out  her  hands  unto  God. 


in  allusion  to  the  small  number  of  the  tribe,  as  Saul  said:  Am  I 
not  a  Benjamite,  of  the  smallest  of  the  tribes  of  Israel  ?  (i  Sam- 
uel ix.  21.) — their  ruler;  this  is  quite  obscure;  it  may  mean  the 
leader  of  the  procession ;  it  may  mean  the  conqueror  of  the  hea- 
then, in  allusion  to  Saul.  The  two  royal  tribes  are  named.  We 
should  remember  that  Zion  was  in  Benjamin.  Benjamin  and 
Judah  were  the  two  southern  tribes,  while  ZebulunandNaphtali 
were  on  the  extreme  north;  hence  the  four  may  stand  for  all. 
The  two  latter  are  named  in  the  Song  of  Deborah.  (Judges 
v.  18.) — their  multitude,  is  still  more  obscure.  It  possibly  is 
intended  to  indicate  the  strength  of  Judah;  or,  possibly,  the 
great  throng  of  Judahites  present  in  the  procession. 

Strophe  14.  Commanded  thy  strength,  ordained  thy  domin- 
ion.— strengthen,  confirm  and  enlarge. — because  of,  out  of  re- 


1 44  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

XV 

Sing  unto  God,  ye  kingdoms  of  the  earth, 
Sing  praises  unto  the  Lord, 

To  him  that  rideth  upon  the  ancient  heaven  of  heavens ; 
Lo,  he  uttereth  his  voice,  a  mighty  voice. 

Ascribe  ye  strength  unto  God ; 

Over  Israel  is  his  majesty, 

And  his  strength  is  in  the  skies. 
Terrible  art  thou,  O  God,  from  thy  holy  places. 

The  God  of  Israel, 
He  giveth  strength  and  peace  unto  his  people. 

Blessed  be  God. 


spect  for. — thy  temple,  not,  of  course,  the  Solomonic  temple, 
but  thy  palace,  the  tabernacle  being  so  called  as  the  home  of 
royalty.  It  is  elsewhere  called  so  in  the  psalms,  and  also  in  i 
Samuel  i.  10.  But,  as  we  are  now  looking  into  the  future,  may 
not  the  Solomonic  temple  be  referred  to  by  anticipation? — 
beasts  of  the  reeds,  crocodile  or  hippopotamus,  symbolic  of 
Egypt.  (Cf.  Job  xl.  21 ;  Isaiah  xxx.  6,  and  xxxiv.  7.) — bulls — 
calves,  the  princes  and  the  common  people.  May  this  not  sym- 
bolize. Assyria?  Or  is  the  reference  still  to  Egypt  and  to  her 
national  gods?  The  next  line  is  very  obscure.  More  liter- 
ally it  is :  Stamping  along  -with  pieces  of  silver.  Stamping  agrees 
better  with  bulls  and  calves  than  prostrating.  We  have,  how- 
ever, adopted  Conant's  rendering,  whose  explanation  is:  Ren- 
dering homage  with  tribute  money. — princes  shall  come,  to  do 
homage. 

Strophe  15.  Lo,  he  uttereth  his  voice ;  the  poet  hears  the 
mighty  voice  of  Jehovah  as  it  thunders  along  the  ancient  heav- 
ens, commanding  the  triumphal  march  of  his  cherubic  hosts.— 3 


THE  MOUNTAIN  14$ 

Most  of  the  early  interpreters  (also  Stier  et  al.) 
refer  this  Psalm  Ixviii.  to  the  historic  connection 
we  have  indicated.  It  seems  eminently  suitable 
thereto,  but  it  may  be  viewed  as  a  general  festival 
hymn  to  be  used  on  occasions  of  victory,  either 
accomplished  or  anticipated.  In  the  modern  Jew- 
ish ritual  it  is  used  at  Pentecost,  the  thanksgiving 
for  harvest. 

It  is  a  Titan,  says  Hitzig.  It  is  the  most  glow- 
ing, the  boldest,  and  most  powerful  hymn  of  the 
Psalter,  says  Hupfeld.  A  psalm  in  the  style  of 
Deborah,  advancing  to  the  highest  pinnacle  of 
hymnic  invention  and  representation,  says  De- 
litzsch.  The  authorities  also  agree  that  it  is  one 
of  the  most  ancient  monuments  of  Hebrew  poetry, 
involving  the  highest  originality  in  its  imagery. 
"  The  fundamental  thought  is  as  clear  as  the  ar- 
rangement and  rhythmical  organizations,  namely: 
The  celebration  of  the  entrance  of  Jehovah  into 
his  sanctuary  on  Zion  after  victories ;  and  his  rule 
over  the  world  extending  itself  from  thence." 
(Moll.) 

The  structure  is  quite  irregular,  having  that 
dithyrambic  form  which  is  generally  adopted  in 
the  processional  odes  of  classical  poets.  It  is 
probably  antiphonal,  and  one  can  readily  fancy 
which  are  the  themes  and  which  the  responses, 
guided  by  the  frequent^  and  abrupt  changes  of 
subject. 

The  Authorized  Version  is  very  defective,  and 


thy  holy  places,   the   earthly  and   the   heavenly   sanctuaries. 
(Hitzig.) 

N.  B.  Or  the  sacred  names,  Elohim  (God)  occurs  most  fre- 
quently. Adonai  (Lord),  Shaddai  (Almighty),  Jehovah  and 
Jah  also  occur.  Each  of  the  two  latter  names  occurs  twice. 

10 


1 46  JUDA  '.S  JE  WELS 

the  Revised  Version  not  altogether  satisfactory. 
Hence  we  have  given  a  different  rendering  in  sev- 
eral places,  supported  by  the  authority  of  various 
translators.  The  obscurities  of  the  text  are  there- 
by diminished,  but  not  entirely  eliminated.  The 
general  tenor  of  the  psalm,  however,  is  quite 
transparent,  and  it  is  evidently  in  free  imitation  of 
the  great  national  war  song  of  Israel,  the  Song  of 
Deborah.  ( Judges  v.) 

The  ode,  or  anthem,  has  marked  prophetic  fea- 
tures, and  moreover,  is  capable  throughout  of  a 
typical  and  spiritual  interpretation.  Probably, 
however,  it  is  not  directly  Messianic,  but  only  has 
a  Messianic  meaning  and  application,  as  indicated 
by  the  use  made  of  strophe  10  in  Ephesians  iv.  8. 
To  apply  it  to  Christian  times,  adding  Christian 
meditations,  has  been  the  chief  aim  of  many  com- 
mentators, and  is  not  difficult.  Such  treatment  is, 
however,  quite  foreign  to  our  purpose  here,  and 
would  draw  attention  away  from  its  aesthetic  fea- 
tures. It  impresses  us,  when  we  think  of  it,  as  a 
product  of  poetic  genius,  very  much  as  we  are 
impressed  by  a  grand  colossal  statue  of  antiquity. 
Time  has  marred  and  obscured  some  of  its  fea- 
tures, but  not  its  majestic  outlines.  We  may  fail 
to  fix  its  true  origin,  and  its  symbolic  significance, 
but  we  are  none  the  less  fascinated  by  its  archaic 
dignity,  its  mystery,  its  granitic  mass  and  super- 
human proportions. 


§7.  The  procession  has  now  reached  the  foot  of 
the  declivity  on  which  the  citadel  of  Zion  stands. 
The  ramparts  are  lined  with  a  multitude,  shouting 
joyous  welcome  in  response  to  the  clangor  of  mu- 


THE  MOUNTAIN  147 

sical  instruments.  The  great  embattled  gates, 
toward  which  the  procession  is  wending  upward, 
are  closed,  and  on  the  tower  that  guards  them 
stands  the  warder. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  ascent  the  shoutings 
cease,  the  instruments  are  silent,  or  merely  accom- 
pany a  new  anthem  which  is  now  chanted  by  the 
Levitical  choirs.  First,  in  full  chorus  it  declares, 
an  echo  from  the  ode  just  sung,  that  to  the  King 
now  resuming  his  throne  the  whole  earth  belongs, 
for  he  made  it.  Second,  the  vicegerent  king,  in 
solo  chant,  asks  who  is  worthy  to  go  up  as  at- 
tendant to  his  palace.  Third,  the  high  priest 
gives  oracular  response:  He  only  who  is  out- 
wardly and  inwardly  pure.  Fourth,  the  full  cho- 
rus responds:  Such  shall  be  blessed,  and  such  is 
the  character  of  redeemed  Israel. 

Now  the  closed  gates  are  reached.  A  semi- 
chorus  of  Levites  commands  them  to  open  to  the 
King;  not  commanding  the  warder,  but  the  dead 
matter  of  the  portals  themselves,  which  surely 
must  be  conscious  in  such  a  presence,  and  obe- 
dient. The  warder,  from  the  tower,  issues  his 
challenge:  Who  is  this  King  of  glory?  A  choral 
burst  from  the  whole  multitude  of  Levite  singers 
responds:  Jehovah!  By  another  semi-chorus  the 
demand  for  entrance  is  repeated ;  so  also  the  chal- 


148  JUDA  'S  JB  WELS 

lenge  and  reply.    The  gates  are  then  thrown  open. 
Here  are  the  words  of  this  sublime  oratorio : 

i 

The  earth  is  the  LORD'S  and  the  fullness  thereof, 
The  world  and  they  that  dwell  therein ; 
For  he  hath  founded  it  upon  the  seas, 
And  established  it  upon  the  floods. 

ii 

Who  shall  ascend  into  the  hill  of  the  LORD? 
And  who  shall  stand  in  his  holy  place? 

in 
He  that  hath  clean  hands, 

And  a  pure  heart ; 
Who  hath  not  lifted  up  his  soul  unto  vanity, 

Nor  sworn  deceitfully. 


NOTES. — Strophe  i.  The  declaration  of  the  universal  sover- 
eignty of  Jehovah,  about  to  be  enthroned  on  Zion,  forcibly 
expresses  the  eminent  distinction  of  Israel,  with  whom  he  con- 
descends to  make  his  abode. — fullness,  denotes  the  inhabitants, 
parallel  to  "they  that  dwell."  It  is  applied  by  St.  Paul  in  i 
Corinthians  x.  26  to  include  the  flesh  to  be  eaten. — he:  the  He- 
brew is  emphatic. — founded  upon:  the  ancient  notion  of  the 
earth  as  a  plain,  surrounded  by  and  resting  upon  the  ocean. 
The  Bible  was  not  written  to  teach  cosmology,  and  always 
speaks  of  nature  in  the  popular  language  of  its  own  day.  The 
expression  probably  alludes  to  Genesis  i.  9.  The  same  notion 
appears  elsewhere — e.g.,  "The  fountains  of  the  great  deep  were 
broken  up"  (Genesis  vii.  n);  "The  waters  under  the  earth" 
(Exodus  xx.  4);  et  al.  Here  the  thought  is  to  be  taken  in  a 


THE  MO  UNTAIN  1 49 

IV 

He  shall  receive  a  blessing  from  the  LORD, 
And  righteousness  from  the  God  of  his  salvation. 
This  is  the  generation  of  them  that  seek  after  him, 
That  seek  thy  face,  even  Jacob. — Selah. 


poetical  sense,  with  the  added  idea  of  firm  establishment  upon 
so  unstable  a  foundation. 

Strophe 3.  He  that  hath:  four  cardinal  points  of  character 
are  named,  two  internal  and  two  external,  two  positive  and 
two  negative.  The  first  probably  refers  to  the  unclean  hands 
of  Uzzah.  (2  Samuel  vi.  6,  7.)  The  lifting  npgf  the  soul  unto 
vanity  is  fixing  the  desires  on  what  is  wrong  and  false — those 
internal  strivings  which  issue  in  the  outward  practice  of  de- 
ceit. The  whole  is  thoroughly  evangelical,  and  wonderfully 
comprehensive. 

Strophe  4.  In  the  arrangement  of  strophes  we  have  given  to 
this  two  distichs.  The  first  of  these,  "  He  shall  receive,"  etc., 
is  frequently  thrown  into  the  second  strophe  as  a  part  of  the 
answer  to  the  previous  question.  We  prefer  the  present  ar- 
rangement, because,  first,  the  oracular  response  attributed  to 
the  high  priest  is  complete  and  perfect  without  this  distich, 
which  would  add  words  without  adding  meaning;  for  all  that 
is  said  in  the  distich  is  already  fully  and  clearly  implied  in  the 
previous  words  of  reply.  Second,  when  transferred  to  stro- 
phe 4,  and  attributed  to  the  people,  they  gain  significance, 
since  they  are  then  an  explication  and  endorsement  of  the  ora- 
cle by  the  people.  Third,  the  symmetry  of  the  construction 
is  promoted  by  this  division. — the  blessing,  probably  refers  to 
that  which  the  presence  of  the  Ark  brought  on  the  house  of 
Obed-edom,  though  not  of  Israel.  (2  Samuel  vi.  n.) — right- 
eousness, imputed  to  him.  (Cf.  Genesis  xv.  6.) — this  is  the 
generation,  this  is  the  race  of  people  who  now  seek  to  stand 


150  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

V 

Lift  up  your  heads,  O  ye  gates, 
And  be  ye  lift  up,  ye  everlasting  doors, 
And  the  King  of  glory  shall  come  in. 

Who  is  this  King  of  glory  ? 

The  LORD,  strong  and  mighty, 
The  LORD,  mighty  in  battle. 


before  God,  and  their  historic  name  is  Israel.  "This"  is  em- 
phatic in  the  Hebrew. — even  Jacob:  this  race  that  seek  him  is 
Jacob,  is  the  true  Israel  of  clean  hands  and  pure  hearts,  Isra- 
elites not  in  name  only,  but  in  spirit.  Here  is  our  only  devia- 
tion from  the  Authorized  Version.  We  have  adopted  Co- 
nant's  phrase,  as  in  the  margin  of  the  Revised  Version,  and 
preferred  by  the  American  Old  Testament  Revision  Company. 
The  construction  has  been  much  discussed,  many  preferring 
to  read,  with  the  Revised  Version,  "O  God  of  Jacob."  This 
dulls  the  point  of  the  second  distich,  losing  the  profession  or 
claim  involved  in  the  rendering  "even  Jacob,"  by  which  ren- 
dering "Jacob"  becomes  the  sum  of  the  preceding  predicates. 
The  Authorized  Version  rendering,  "O  Jacob,"  must  be  re- 
jected; for  why  God  should  be  called  Jacob  is  far  to  seek. 

Strophe  5.  Lift  up,  arouse  yourselves,  behold  his  presence 
and  give  way.  The  gates  are  boldly  personified,  and  called 
upon  to  arouse,  as  if  from  lethargy,  and  look  up.  This  seems 
a  simple,  sufficient,  and  obvious  explanation;  but  many  others 
have  been  given,  some  of  which  are  quite  startling. — everlast- 
ing doors,  so  called  because,  as  typical  of  the  gates  of  celestial 
glory  which  opened  to  receive  our  ascending  Lord,  he,  the  Eter- 
nal One,  shall  dwell  within  forever.  Stanley  refers  the  phrase 
to  the  antiquity  of  the  citadel  of  Jebus  (!). — strong,  is  an  essen- 
tial attribute,  and  mighty  is  its  manifestation  in  action;  not 


THE  MOUNTAIN 


VI 

Lift  up  your  heads,  O  ye  gates, 
Even  lift  them  up,  ye  everlasting  doors, 
And  the  King  of  glory  shall  come  in. 

Who  is  this  King  of  glory  ? 

The  LORD  of  hosts, 

He  is  the  King  of  glory. — Selah. 


This  hymn  of  entrance  into  Zion  is  David's 
Psalm  xxiv.  The  structure  is  quite  obvious,  ow- 
ing to  the  abrupt  changes  of  sentiment.  It  divides 
into  two  nearly  equal  parts,  marked  by  the  Sc/a/i, 
which  has,  therefore,  in  this  case  been  retained. 
The  repetition  of  strophe  5  with  slight  and  elegant 
variations  is  very  beautiful.  With  one  exception, 
considered  in  the  notes,  the  phraseology  of  the 
Authorized  Version  and  Revised  Version  has  been 
adhered  to. 

That  the  bringing  up  of  the  Ark  is  the  historic 
occasion  of  this  psalm  is  generally  admitted,  and 
also  that  it  is  antiphonal.  We  have  ventured  to  in- 
dicate a  way  in  which  it  may  have  been  rendered 
(substantially  the  view  adopted  by  Delitzsch),  on 
which,  however,  we  do  not  insist;  though  that 
there  are  distinct  themes,  questions,  and  responses 
will  hardly  be  questioned.  This  character  makes 


hendiadys — the  words  do  not  merely  repeat  the  idea. — Who 
is  this:  Delitzsch  regards  this  question  as  the  speech  of 
the  gates  themselves,  making  the  whole  representation  ideal. 
Since  it  is  here  viewed  as  an  actual  ceremony,  we  assign  the 
question  to  the  warder. 

Strophe  6.  The  Lord  of  hosts,  Jehovah  Sabaoth. 


1 5  2  JUDA  'S  JB  WELS 

it  suitable  for  Hturgic  use,  and  it  is  noticeable 
that,  according  to  Talmudic  tradition,  which  is 
confirmed  by  the  title  in  the  LXX.,  it  was  chant- 
ed every  Sabbath  morning  in  the  temple.  It  is 
appointed  by  the  Anglican  Church  to  be  read 
on  Ascension  Sunday.  Certainly,  the  psalm  is 
eminently  applicable  to  the  ascension  of  our  Lord, 
but  is  not  to  be  reckoned  among  the  psalms  di- 
rectly Messianic.  Its  poetic  beauty,  originality, 
and  vivid  coloring  have  been  themes  of  universal 
admiration. 


§8.  The  gates  are  thrown  open.  A  great  burst 
of  instrumental  music  gladdens  the  air,  the  shout- 
ings again  ascend,  and  the  festive  procession  and 
the  Ark  of  God  pass  through  the  everlasting  doors, 
pass  joyously  through  the  thronged  streets  to  the 
new  tabernacle  on  the  summit  of  Zion.  There 
Jehovah  is  installed  King  forever. 

For  the  LORD  hath  chosen  Zion, 
He  hath  desired  it  for  his  habitation : 
This  is  my  rest  forever, 
Here  will  I  dwell, 

For  I  have  desired  it. 

I  will  abundantly  bless  her  provision, 

I  will  satisfy  her  poor  with  bread, 

And  her  priests  will  I  clothe  with  salvation, 

And  her  saints  shall  shout  aloud  for  joy. 


THE  MOUNTAIN  1 53 

There  will  I  make  the  horn  of  David  to  bud, 
I  have  ordained  a  lamp  for  mine  anointed. 
His  enemies  will  I  clothe  with  shame, 
But  upon  himself  shall  his  crown  flourish.1 

Other  anthems  no  doubt  were  chanted,  the 
smoke  of  sacrifice  ascends  and  fills  the  firmament, 
and  the  multitude  bow  themselves  in  glad  homage. 

We  must  insert  here  one  other  of  David's  psalms 
as  belonging  to  this  occasion.  We  will  think  of 
him  as  standing  between  the  high  priests  Abia- 
thar  and  Zadok,  before  the  blazing  altar,  before 
the  Ark  of  the  Presence,  to  inquire  of  the  Lord. 


1The  closing  verses  of  Psalm  cxxxii.  These,  together  with 
the  quotations  at  the  close  of  §4  and  §5,  constitute  nearly  all 
the  psalm.  It  is  a  very  beautiful  composition,  attributed  by 
some  critics  to  David,  and  referred  to  this  historic  occasion,  to 
which  it  is  in  sentiment  eminently  applicable,  and  to  which  it 
probably  alludes.  We  have  not  included  it  directly  in  our  ac- 
count, because  it  is  almost  beyond  doubt  the  production  of 
some  other  poet.  There  is  a  great  variety  of  opinion  respect- 
ing it  among  the  critics.  The  most  satisfactory  view  seems  to 
be  that  an  unknown  poet,  soon  after  the  establishment  of  the 
worship  of  Jehovah  on  Zion,  gives  a  lyrical  account  of  David's 
anxious  wish  to  accomplish  this  great  work,  of  the  finding  and 
bringing  up  of  the  Ark,  of  God's  everlasting  covenant  with 
David,  and  of  his  blessing  on  Zion.  "At  all  events,"  says  De- 
litzsch,  "  it  proceeded  from  an  age  when  the  throne  of  David 
still  remained,  and  the  holy  Ark  was  not  yet  irrecoverably 
lost." 


154  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

When  coming  up  the  hill,  he  had  asked:  Who 
shall  ascend  and  stand  in  the  holy  places?  Now 
he  asks:  Who  shall  here  abide  as  the  guest  of  Je- 
hovah? The  holy  oracle  responds  in  plain,  direct, 
and  searching  words,  answerable  for  all  time. 


LORD,  who  shall  abide  in  thy  tabernacle? 
Who  shall  dwell  in  thy  holy  hill? 

n 

He  that  walketh  uprightly, 
And  worketh  righteousness, 
And  speaketh  truth  in  his  heart. 


NOTES. — Strophe  i.  Abide,  sojourn  as  a  guest,  involving  the 
idea  of  friendship  and  protection.  "  Modern  interpreters  have 
weakened  this  technical  expression,  taken  from  the  concrete 
relations  of  life,  into  a  merely  figurative  designation  of  com- 
munion with  God  in  general."  —  dwell,  permanently  reside. 
"The  difference  of  the  two  ideas  is  this:  that  the  one  from  a 
wandering  life  means  the  finding  of  a  permanent  place;  the 
other,  from  the  idea  of  membership  in  the  family,  denotes  the 
possession  of  a  permanent  place."  (Delttzsch.) 

Strophe  2.  The  expressions  progress  positively  from  out- 
ward inoffensiveness,  on  through  deeda  of  charity,  to  the  in- 
nermost nature  of  the  man. — in  his  heart,  not  merely  with  his 
tongue.  "  Our  heart  must  be  the  sanctuary  and  refuge  of 
truth,  should  it  be  banished  from  all  the  world  beside,  and 
hunted  from  among  men.  At  all  risks  we  must  entertain  the 
angel  of  truth,  for  truth  is  God's  daughter."  (Spurgeon.) 


THE  MOUNTAIN  155 

III 

He  that  slandereth  not  with  his  tongue, 

Nor  doeth  evil  to  his  friend, 

Nor  taketh  up  a  reproach  against  his  neighbor. 


IV 


In  whose  eyes  a  vile  person  is  contemned ; 
But  he  honoreth  them  that  fear  the  LORD. 


He  that  sweareth  to  his  own  hurt  and  changeth  not. 
He  that  putteth  not  out  his  money  to  usury, 
Nor  taketh  reward  against  the  innocent. 

VI 

He  that  doeth  these  things  shall  never  be  moved. 


Strophe  j.  This  is  the  negative  of  the  above  perfect  walk. — 
with  his  tongue;  literally,  on  his  tongue;  a  forcible  Hebrew 
idiom  representing  the  slanderous  lie  as  a  store  of  venom 
ready  to  be  discharged.  (Cook.) — taketh  up  a  reproach,  taking 
up  from  the  ground  and  circulating  a  lie.  (Calvin.}  Delitzsch, 
Hengstenberg,  and  Hitzig  give  it  the  meaning  of  bringing  or 
loading  disgrace  on  anvone. 

Strophe  4.  Positive  and  antithetic. — a  vile  person,  a  repro- 
bate.— contemned,  abhorred.  Such  is  the  common  interpreta- 
tion. But  the  old  Jewish  view  is  more  in  accord  with  other 
Scriptures,  and  is  now  accepted  by  the  ablest  critics:  He 
that  in  his  own  eyes  is  despised  and  worthy  of  rejection.  So 
the  Prayer  Book  version:  He  that  setteth  not  by  himself,  but 
is  lowly  in  his  own  eyes.  This  view  is  much  more  forcible, 
and  accords  exactly  with  that  humility  which  David  exhibits 


1 56  JUDA  '£  JE  WELS 

Hitzig,  Wordsworth,  Alexander,  and  many  other 
authorities,  refer  this  Psalm  xv.  to  the  time  of  the 
removal  of  the  Ark,  and  all  bear  witness  to  the 
severe  dignity  and  power  of  the  style.  The  con- 
struction is  simple,  but  not  perfectly  symmetrical. 
The  symmetry  is  broken  by  strophe  4,  which  is  a 
distich,  while  the  three  other  descriptive  strophes 


on  this  very  occasion;  see  his  own  words  in  2  Samuel  vi.  22. 
Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit. 

Strophe  j.  Positive. — to  his  own  hurt,  to  his  injury,  as  he 
finds  after  the  oath  has  been  taken.  The  Rabbis  explain  thus: 
Vows  to  do  himself  an  injury  by  fasting  or  other  mortification, 
is  too  ascetic.  Rosemuller,  and  many  since,  translate:  Swear- 
eth  to  the  wicked.  The  LXX.,  Syriac,  and  Luther  have: 
To  his  neighbors.  The  Prayer  Book  version  combines  the 
LXX.  and  the  Authorized  Version:  He  that  sweareth  unto 
his  neighbor,  and  disappointeth  him  not,  though  it  were  to 
his  own  hindrance.  Hupfeld,  Hitzig,  Delitzsch,  Moll,  Cook, 
and  Kay  give  the  meaning  which  we  have  adopted,  and  they 
refer  to  Leviticus  v.  4  ff,  and  xxvii.  to  ff.  The  Law  permits  no 
change  if  it  hurt  himself  only;  but  if  it  involves  injury  to 
others  it  provides  a  trespass  offering. — usury,  prohibited  among 
the  Israelites.  (Exodus  xxii.  25.)  The  same  principle  forbids 
the  abuse  of  usury  in  all  ages;  proved  too  by  its  natural  conse- 
quences— e.  g.,  it  ruined  agriculture  in  Italy  under  the  Roman 
Empire.— reward,  a  bribe;  applies  to  magistrates  in  their  judi- 
cial and  executive  functions.  "Thou  shalt  take  no  gift;  for  a 
gift  blindeth  them  that  have  sight,  and  perverteth  the  cause  of 
the  righteous."  (Exodus  xxiii.  8.) 

Strophe  6.  Summary.— never  be  moved,  from  God's  dwell- 
ing place,  but  shall  "abide"  and  "dwell"  there  throughout 
eternity.  The  whole  in  marked  contrast  with  the  ceremonial 
and  inquisitional  service  of  Psalm  xxiv. 


THE  MOUNTAIN  157 

are  tristichs.  This  strophe  4  is  of  doubtful  trans- 
lation, but  being  essentially  antithetic  in  sentiment, 
it  is  without  question  a  distich.  This  breaks  monot- 
ony. Eleven  particulars  are  enumerated  by  which 
the  approved  character  is  defined.  Hence,  in  the 
German  it  is  said  that  David  comprised  the  six  hun- 
dred and  thirteen  commands  of  the  Law  given 
on  Sinai  in  eleveo,  but  that  Habakkuk  summed 
them  in  one:  The  just  shall  live  by  his  faith  (Ha- 
bakkuk ii.  4,  Romans  i.  17). — Perown> .  The  four 
descriptive  strophes  are  alternately  positive  and 
negative.  The  horizon  continually  enlarges,  and 
in  the  summary  monostich  at  the  close  it  expands 
to  infinity. 

The  words  of  the  psalm  are  in  harmonious  con- 
cord with  those  of  Psalm  ci.  (§3),  and  sound  like 
a  prolonged  echo  of  strophe  3  in  Psalm  xxiv.,  just 
quoted.  This  oracle  speaks  "  in  forms  of  expres- 
sion heard  in  the  Law,  but  passes  over  beyond  the 
limits  of  the  Old  Testament,  and  describes,  in 
evangelical  and  prophetic  spirit,  the  man  whom 
God  will  accept  as  his  guest  and  his  friend.  It 
does  not  demand  nor  even  allude  to  the  observ- 
ance of  rites  and  ceremonies.  The  entire  spirit 
is  in  the  sphere  of  morals,  and  not  of  the  Law." 
(Moll.) 

"  Such  is  the  figure  of  stainless  honor  drawn  by 
the  pen  of  a  Jewish  poet.  Christian  chivalry  has 
not  dreamed  of  a  brighter.  We  have  need  often 
and  seriously  to  ponder  it.  For  it  shows  us  that 
faith  in  God  and  spotless  integrity  may  not  be  sun- 
dered ;  that  religion  does  not  veil  or  excuse  petty 
dishonesties;  that  love  to  God  is  only  worthy  of 
the  name  when  it  is  the  life  and  bond  of  every  so- 
cial virtue.  Each  line  is  a  touchstone  to  which  we 
should  bring  ourselves."  (Perownef) 


1 58  y UDA  'S  JE  WELS 

§  9.  And  when  David  had  made  an  end  of  offer- 
ing the  burnt  offering  and  the  peace  offerings,  he 
blessed  the  people  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  of 
hosts.  And  he  dealt  among  all  the  people,  even 
among  the  whole  multitude  of  Israel,  both  to  men 
and  women,  to  every  one  a  cake  of  bread,  and  a 
portion  of  wine,  and  a  cake  of  raisins.  So  all  the 
people  departed,  every  one  to  his  own  house.1 

It  was  the  greatest  and  most  joyful  day  of  his 
life.  Poet,  Musician,  Conqueror,  Prophet,  Priest, 
and  King,  in  one.  With  a  heart  full  of  gratitude 
and  love  to  all,  he  returns  to  his  own  house  to 
bless  his  household.  And  Michal,  his  wife,  Saul's 
proud  daughter,  reproached  him  for  uncovering 
himself  in  the  eyes  of  all  the  people.  Witness  his 
reply:  "It  was  before  Jehovah,  which  chose  me 
to  appoint  me  ruler  over  his  people,  over  Israel; 
therefore  will  I  play  before  the  Lord.  And  I  will 
yet  be  more  vile  than  thus,  and  will  be  base  in 
mine  own  sight."  Blessed  are  the  meek. 


1  2  Samuel  vi.  18,  fl. 


V.-THE  VALLEY 


§i.  THE  second  work  assigned  by  Providence 
to  David  was  the  extension  of  the  kingdom  of  Is- 
rael to  the  limits  assigned  in  prophecy.  As  pre- 
paratory, he  systematizes  and  confirms  the  present 
rule.  This  is  done  by  a  complete  reorganization 
of  the  military  establishment;  by  instituting  social 
and  civil  regulations,  including  agricultural,  mu- 
nicipal, and  financial  interests;  by  enlarging  the 
judicial  code;  and  by  organizing  the  royal  court 
and  council.  This  being  accomplished,  he  then 
proceeds  to  the  enlargement  of  the  kingdom  to 
the  bounds  of  empire.1  He  carried  his  arms  first 
against  the  Philistines  on  the  west,  and  completely 
subdued  them.  He  then  smote  the  Moabites  on  the 
east  so  that  they  became  his  servants  and  paid  trib- 
ute. Then  he  marched  against  Syria  on  the  north, 
overcame  it,  and  garrisoned  Damascus.  Lastly, 
he  put  garrisons  throughout  Edom  on  the  south, 
and  all  they  of  Edom  became  his  servants.2  And 
so  it  was  that  from  the  snows  of  Lebanon  and 
Hermon  to  the  burning  deserts  of  Paran,  from  the 

12  Samuel  viii.  2  Psalm  Ix. 

(159) 


1 60  JUDA  'S  JB  WELS 

rivers  of  Babylon  even  to  the  uttermost  sea,  the 
empire  of  Israel  stretched  forth  her  spear  and 
shield  according  to  the  prophetic  word.1 

Now  the  ruler  of  Israel  ranks  with  the  great 
potentates  of  the  world.  He  is  an  imperial  con- 
queror, and  the  promise  is  fulfilled:  I  have  made 
thee  a  great  name  like  unto  the  name  of  the  great 
men  that  are  in  the  earth.  The  chief  interest  in 
this  extension  of  the  kingdom  arises  from  its  typ-  , 
ical  significance,  and  its  influence  on  the  subse- 
quent religious  development  of  the  nation.  "  For 
as  on  the  one  hand  the  external  relations  of  life, 
and  the  great  incidents  of  war  and  conquest,  re- 
ceive an  elevation  by  their  contact  with  the  reli- 
gious history,  so  the  religious  history  swells  into 
larger  and  broader  dimensions  from  its  contact 
with  the  course  of  the  outer  world.  The  enlarge- 
ment of  territory,  the  amplification  of  power  and 
state,  leads  to  a  corresponding  enlargement  and 
amplification  of  ideas,  of  imagery,  of  sympathies; 
and  thus,  humanly  speaking,  the  magnificent  fore- 
bodings of  a  wider  dispensation  in  the  prophetic 
writings  first  became  possible  through  the  court 
and  empire  of  David.'*  (Stanley.') 

In  the  peaceful  quiet  that  followed,  David  com^ 
posed  Psalm  xviii.,  a  triumphant  Paean  of  Thanks- 

'Geneais  xv.  18-21;  Deuteronomy  xi.  24;  Psalm  Ixxii.  8. 


THE   VALLET  l6l 


giving  in  the  retrospect  of  God's  favor  through- 
out his  life,  culminating  in  his  present  exalted 
state.1  It  is  the  longest,  and,  in  some  respects, 
the  most  remarkable  of  his  compositions.  It  was 
written  evidently  before  his  great  sin  had  thrown 
a  dark  shadow  over  his  spirit.  It  contains  no  in- 
dication of  remorse  for  special  guilt,  and  no  allu- 
sion to  domestic  enemies.  All  his  foes  are  sub- 
dued, and  confident  in  God's  salvation,  he  looks 
forward  to  a  peaceful  and  glorious  future  for  him- 
self and  his  posterity.  The  spirit  of  the  king,  as 
head  of  the  theocracy,  pervades  the  poem,  and  it 
exhausts  the  experience  of  his  early  manhood.  Its 
style  evinces  the  maturity  of  his  genius,  being  re- 
markable for  vigor,  grace,  regal  dignity,  and 
archaic  sublimity.  Especially  the  passage  from 
verse  5  to  verse  20  is  famous  for  its  unsurpassed 
grandeur.  It  describes  a  theophany.  Natural  phe- 
nomena supply  the  imagery,  and  are  described 
with  minute  and  graphic  accuracy.  There  is  an 
earthquake,  followed  by  dense  smoke,  an  out- 
burst of  flame  and  showers  of  burning  coals,  then 

1This  psalm  is  found  also  in  2  Samuel  xxii.,  but  out  of  its 
chronological  place,  which  is  immediately  after  chapter  viii. 
Hitzig  and  other  critics,  upon  a  careful  examination  of  the  dif- 
ferences of  the  two  texts,  conclude  that  they  are  independent 
recensions,  neither  of  which  gives  the  original  text  in  its  puri- 
ty, and  that  the  form  in  the  Psalter  is  to  be  preferred. 
11 


1 62  JUDA  VS1  JE  WELS 

heavy  clouds,  thick  darkness,  a  sound  as  of  char- 
iot wheels  sped  by  rushing  winds,  black  thunder- 
clouds rifted  by  sudden  flashes,  the  crash  of  thun- 
der, then  Jehovah's  voice.  To  this  Milton  refers 
in  the  well-known  passage : 

"  How  oft  amidst 

Thick  clouds  and  dark  doth  Heaven's  all-ruling  Sire 
Choose  to  reside,  his  glory  unobscured, 
And  with  the  majesty  of  darkness  round 
Covers  his  throne,  from  whence  deep  thunders  roar, 
Mustering  their  rage,  and  Heaven  resembles  Hell !  " 

{Paradise  Lost,  II.  263,  ff.) 

§2.  Had  David's  life  ended  here,  how  beautiful 
and  finished  its  record !  But  his  was  a  destiny 
higher  than  the  throne  of  Israel,  something  nobler 
than  to  fill  a  niche  in  the  history  of  emperors.  It 
was  for  him  to  make  the  songs  of  all  people  for 
all  time.  His  own  personal  experiences,  compre- 
hending all  phases  of  man's  doing  and  suffering, 
must  furnish  the  themes.  For  there  is  no  power 
in  poetry  without  pathos,  and  there  is  no  true 
pathos  that  is  not  wrung  out  by  a  crushing  force 
from  a  suffering  heart. 

From  his  present  height,  his  kingly  work  per- 
fected, we  must  follow  David  through  a  new  range 
of  experiences,  in  a  far  deeper  descent  than  be- 


THE   VALLET  163 

fore,  alas!  into  the  depths  of  crime,  and  through 
all  the  horrors  and  agonies  that  attended  it,  and 
were  inevitably  consequent  upon  it.  Then  we 
may  see  his  return  to  righteousness,  and  learn 
how,  out  from  the  horrible  pit,  to  look  upward, 
and  at  last  regain  foothold  on  the  rock. 

We  will  pass  with  merely  a  reference  to  the 
facts  of  David's  double  crime  of  adultery  and 
murder,  narrated  with  all  their  shocking  and  dis- 
gusting details  in  2  Samuel  xi.  and  xii.  We  need 
only  remark  that  the  taking  of  Rabboth-Ammon, 
and  the  terrible  cruelties  practiced  on  its  captured 
citizens,  occurred  after  his  crimes  but  before  his 
penitence,  before  the  interview  with  Nathan, 
though  this  is  previously  narrated.  This  view, 
in  which  commentators  generally  agree,  partially 
explains — without,  of  course,  justifying — David's 
savagery.  He  was  suffering  the  tortures  of  re- 
morse, but  his  heart  was  still  hard  in  impenitence. 
The  recollection  of  Uriah's  death  under  the  walls 
of  the  city,  though  of  his  own  devising,  yet  by  the 
hands  of  these  Ammonites,  would  naturally  irritate 
him  to  the  utmost.  We  say  naturally,  for  it  is  one 
of  the  many  contradictions  in  human  nature  that  a 
principal  should  seek  a  sort  of  self-justification  and 
expiation  by  wreaking  vengeance  on  his  tools. 

In  this  impenitent  and  remorseful  mood  David 


1 64  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

continued  probably  for  a  year  or  more.  Then  came 
the  message  of  Nathan,  couched  after  a  fashion 
thoroughly  oriental,  in  the  exquisite  parable  of  the 
poor  man  and  his  lamb.1  Before  Nathan  finished 
his  story,  David  broke  forth  impetuously,  and  with 
characteristic  generosity,  swore  that  the  man  that 
had  done  this  thing  should  surely  die.  Thou  art 
the  man,  says  the  prophet,  and  proceeds  to  charge 
home  his  crimes  upon  him.  David  listens  in 
abashed,  convicted  silence  to  the  fearful  harangue 
which  so  perfectly  harmonizes  with  the  accusa- 
tions of  his  conscience,  and  at  the  close,  exclaims 
from  the  depths  of  his  crushed  heart:  I  have 
sinned  against  the  Lord.  This  confession  from  a 
broken  and  a  contrite  heart  is  not  despised,  but  is 
instantly  followed  by  the  divine  forgiveness:  The 
Lord  hath  put  away  thy  sin;  thou  shalt  not  die. 
What  a  lesson  for  us !  Afterwards,  perhaps  long 
afterwards,  he  records  in  Psalm  xxxii.  this  remark- 
able fact  of  his  instant  forgiveness,  in  these  memor- 
able and  instructive  words: 


•This  incident  is  justly  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  charm- 
ing in  the  Old  Testament.  All  modern  literatures  abound  with 
allusions  to  it,  but  we  especially  note  Lessing's  imitation  in  his 
noble  drama,  Nathan  der  Weise.  The  scene  is  laid  in  the  same 
place,  Jerusalem,  and  another  Nathan  tells  Saladin  the  beauti- 
ful symbolic  story  of  The  Three  Rings. 


THE   VALLBT  165 

I  acknowledged  my  sin  unto  thee, 

And  mine  iniquity  I  did  not  hide ; 

I  said,  I  will  confess  my  transgressions  unto  the  Lord ; 

And  thou  forgavest  the  iniquity  of  my  sin. 

But  David,  as  so  often  with  ourselves,  could 
not  at  once  realize  his  pardon.  In  the  meantime, 
he  suffered  the  profoundest  humiliation,  the  fierce 
agonies  of  repentance,  and  the  fearful  thought  of 
being  shut  out  forever  from  God's  favor.  This 
terrible  interval  gave  birth  to  Psalm  li.,  one  of  the 
most  familiar  and  most  precious  in  the  Psalter.  In 
studying  it  we  should  keep  clearly  before  us  the 
unhappy  condition  of  the  penitent  as  he  pours  out 
his  soul  in  an  impassioned  prayer  that  has  no  par- 
allel in  all  the  recorded  heart-histories  of  all  time: 

i 
Have  mercy  upon  me,  O  God ; 

According  to  thy  loving-kindness, 

According  to  the  multitude  of  thy  tender  mercies, 
Blot  out  my  transgressions, 
Wash  me  thoroughly  from  mine  iniquity, 
And  cleanse  me  from  my  sin. 

NOTES. — Strophe  i.  The  prayer  reposes  wholly  on  grace — 
unmerited  favor.  Observe  the  beautiful  amplification  of  lov- 
ing-kindness in  the  third  line. — blot  out,  wash,  cleanse,  denote 
more  than  justification.  He  longs  for  a  restoration  to  purity. 
— transgressions,  observe  the  plural:  adultery,  treachery,  mur- 
der, cruelty.  The  plural  is  also  consistently  preserved  in  other 


1 66  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

II 

For  I  acknowledge  my  transgressions, 

And  my  sin  is  ever  before  me ; 

Against  thee,  thee  only,  have  I  sinned, 
And  done  that  which  is  evil  in  thy  sight ; 

That  thou  mayest  be  justified  when  thou  speakest, 

And  be  clear  when  thou  judgest. 


psalms  belonging  to  this  period  (e.  g.,  Psalm  xxxii.),  though 
often  overlooked  by  readers  and  commentators.  Moll,  how- 
ever, thinks  the  plural  is  not  to  be  explained  historically,  but 
psychologically.  Two  other  words  are  used — iniquity,  sin — 
which  are  not  synonymous  in  the  Hebrew.  Transgression  is  a 
violation  of  God's  law  by  overt  act  Sin  is  the  consequent  per- 
sonal defilement,  a  leprosy.  Iniquity  is  the  inherent  depravity 
of  human  nature.  See  also  the  discriminated  use  of  these 
terms  in  Psalms  xxxii.,  xxxviii.,  xxxix.,  and  xl.  David  never 
confesses  -wickedness,  nor  is  it  anywhere  attributed  to  a  recog- 
nized servant  of  God. 

Strophe  2.  David  has  nothing  to  plead  but  confession.  Moll 
renders  the  first  line  more  accurately,  "For  my  transgressions 
I  know."  Still,  confession  is  implied,  and  comes  out  in  the 
context. — thee  only:  had  he  not  sinned  against  himself,  his 
neighbor,  his  country,  mankind?  Yes,  surely;  but  sin  as  such 
is  primarily  against  God;  or,  we  may  say  that  Hebrew  idiom 
constantly  represents  secondary  objects  as  absolutely  nothing 
in  comparison  with  the  highest.  The  second  distich  is  best 
regarded  as  parenthetical,  and  the  third  connected  by  that  with 
the  first  distich,  the  confession,  rather  than  with  the  second,  the 
commission.  He  confesses  unreservedly,  in  order  that  the 
justice  of  God's  sentence,  whatever  it  may  be,  being  already 
fully  admitted,  may  stand  without  question. — be  clear,  of  ques- 
tion or  dispute. 


THE   VALLET  167 

III 

Behold  I  was  shapen  in  iniquity, 
And  in  sin  did  my  mother  conceive  me. 
Behold  thou  desirest  truth  in  the  inward  parts, 
And  in  the  hidden  part  thou  shalt  make  me  to  know 

[wisdom. 

IV 

Purge  me  with  hyssop,  and  I  shall  be  clean, 
Wash  me,  and  I  shall  be  whiter  than  snow. 
Make  me  to  hear  joy  and  gladness, 
That  the  bones  which  thou  hast  broken  may  rejoice. 

v 
Hide  thy  face  from  my  sins, 

And  blot  out  all  mine  iniquities. 
Create  in  me  a  clean  heart,  O  God, 

And  renew  a  right  spirit  within  me. 


Strophe  3.  An  acknowledgment  of  inherent  and  inherited 
sinfulness,  not  named  in  excuse,  but  as  the  origin  of  misdeeds. 
— shapen,  brought  forth.  His  mother  was  sinful  (not  adulter- 
ous) before  him,  so  that  his  own  sinfulness  was  inborn. — in- 
ward parts,  the  innermost  consciousness. 

Strophe  4.  The  purification  for  leprosy.  (Leviticus  xiv.  4-6.) 
Quoted  by  Isaiah,  i.  18. — broken,  by  stroke  after  stroke  of  an 
accusing  and  avenging  conscience.  A  more  accurate  and  sig- 
nificant rendering  of  the  second  distich  is: 

Thou  wilt  make  me  to  hear  joy  and  gladness; 
The  bones  which  thou  hast  broken  shall  rejoice. 

Strophe  5.  Create,  the  doctrine  of  a  new  birth.  Our  Lord 
expresses  surprise  that  the  teacher  of  Israel  knew  not  this  es- 


1 68  J UDA  'S  JE  WELS 

Cast  me  not  away  from  thy  presence, 

And  take  not  thy  holy  spirit  from  me. 

Restore  unto  me  the  joy  of  thy  salvation, 
And  uphold  me  with  a  free  spirit. 

Then  will  I  teach  transgressors  thy  ways, 

And  sinners  shall  be  converted  unto  thee. 

VI 

[my  salvation, 
Deliver  me  from  bloodguiltiness,  O  God,  thou  God  of 

And  my  tongue  shall  sing  aloud  of  thy  righteous- 
O  Lord,  open  thou  my  lips,  [ness. 

And  my  mouth  shall  shew  forth  thy  praise. 


sential  thing.  (John  iii.  10.)  How  could  he  miss  it  with  this 
well-known  text  before  him. — a  right  spirit,  a  steadfast  spirit. 
(See  Isaiah  xxvi.  3.) — thy  holy  spirit,  the  spirit  of  the  Lord  that 
had  departed  from  Saul,  and  which  came  upon  David  at  the 
first  anointing,  (i  Samuel  xvi.  13.)  But  the  meaning  is  deeper 
and  broader  than  this;  it  is  personal  rather  than  official. — a  free 
spirit,  the  Authorized  Version  has  "thy  free  spirit,"  the  word 
thy  being  supplied  by  the  translators.  It  means  rather  a  free, 
willing  spirit  or  disposition  of  his  own  heart,  generous  and  no- 
ble motives  that  shall  lead  to  righteous  conduct. — converted, 
not  from  unbelief,  but  from  error;  it  refers  to  the  return  of 
backsliders  from  straying.  This  longing  has  been  abundantly 
fulfilled;  David  ever  since  that  day  has  been  a  teacher  of  trans- 
gressors. Such  a  desire  is  one  of  the  surest  signs  of  true  peni- 
tence. (Cf.  Psalm  xxxii.  8.) 

Strophe  6.  The  ability  to  offer  praise  is  the  gift  of  God.  The 
beauty  and  depth  of  the  second  distich  is  universally  admitted. 
No  Scripture  phrase  is  more  familiar  in  devotion. 


THE   VALLET  169 

VII 

For  thou  delightest  not  in  sacrifice,  else  would  I  give  it, 
Thou  hast  no  pleasure  in  burnt  offering. 
The  sacrifices  of  God  are  a  broken  spirit ; 
A  broken  and  a  contrite  heart,  O  God,  thou  wilt  not 

[despise. 
VIII 

Do  good  in  thy  good  pleasure  unto  Zion, 

Build  thou  the  walls  of  Jerusalem. 

Then  shalt  thou  delight  in  the  sacrifices  of  righteous- 

In  burnt  offering,  and  whole  burnt  offering;          [ness, 

Then  shall  they  offer  bullocks  upon  thine  altar. 


Strophe  7.  Ceremonial  observance  of  itself  is  nothing.  The 
acceptable  sacrifices  are  those  which  arise  from  a  broken  spirit. 
Samuel  had  said: 

"Behold,  to  obey  is  better  than  sacrifice; 
And  to  hearken,  than  the  fat  of  rams." 

(i  Samuel  xv.  22.) 

God,  through  Asaph,  rejects  the  burnt  offerings,  and  says: 

"Offer  unto  God  thanksgiving."  (Psalm  1.  14.) 
And  then  the  present  psalm,  next  following,  complements  the 
duties  of  obedience  and  gratitude  with  penitence.  These  are 
the  inner  principles  which  sanctify  all  sacrifice.  I  low  could 
the  Jews  fall  into  ritualism,  or  fail  to  see  the  harmony  of  the 
law  and  the  prophets  with  the  gospel  ? 

Strophe  8.  If  this  be  a  part  of  the  original  psalm,  build  refers 
primarily  to  the  fortifications  progressing  under  David's  direc- 
tion, but  has  a  higher  spiritual  significance. — sacrifices  of  right- 
eousness, obedience,  gratitude,  and  penitence,  accompanied  by 
burnt  offering,  which  was  not  rejected  except  when  it  stood 
alone. — bullocks,  the  finest  and  choicest  victims. 


170  JUDA'S  JEWELS 

Dr.  Van  Ess  tells  us  that  Voltaire  once  under- 
took to  write  a  travesty  of  this  psalm,  but  when 
studying  it  to  catch  the  vein,  it  went  to  his  heart 
like  a  barbed  arrow,  and  he  fell  back  upon  his 
couch  in  an  agony  of  remorse.  We  can  easily 
believe  it.  Let  us  study  it  with  reverential  awe, 
and  make  its  spirit  our  own. 

The  structure  is  simple  and  irregular.  It  is  too 
passionate  for  artistic  symmetry.  Observe  the 
four  parallel  distichs  in  strophe  5.  Four  general 
divisions  may  be  noted:  First,  an  ardent  prayer 
for  mercy  and  forgiveness,  founded  on  confession 
and  the  acknowledgment  of  God's  justice  (stro- 
phes i,  2,  3).  Second,  entreaty  for  restoration 
to  favor  and  renewal  of  spirit  (strophes  4,  5). 
Third,  vows  of  spiritual  sacrifice  as  those  only 
acceptable  to  God  (strophes  6,  7).  Fourth,  a 
prayer  for  Zion  (strophe  8). 

The  psalm  was  evidently  a  favorite  with  Isaiah, 
if  we  may  judge  by  the  frequency  with  which  he 
alludes  to  it.  And  to  how  many  thousand  times 
ten  thousand  transgressors  has  it  taught  the  way 
of  return  to  God,  and  who  has  yet  exhausted  its 
depths  or  compassed  its  illimitable  bounds?  Lu- 
ther says:  "It  has  been  used  by  the  Church  in 
song  and  prayer  oftener  than  any  other  in  the 
Psalter."  The  Anglican  Church  appoints  it  for 
Ash  Wednesday,  and  inserts  portions  of  it  in  her 
most  solemn  services.  It  is  one  of  the  seven  Peni- 
tential Psalms  (see  Chap.  II.  §5, note).  Lutherwas 
once  asked  which  are  the  best  of  all  the  psalms. 
In  reply  he  named  four  of  the  Penitential  Psalms, 
xxxii.,  li.,  cxxx.,  and  cxliii.  The  last  has  already 
been  quoted  (Chap.  II.  §5).  Because  of  their 
evangelical  tone,  he  called  these  the  Pauline 
Psalms.  Perhaps  of  the  four  this,  the  fifty-first, 
is  the  chiefest.  Its  spirit  is  thoroughly  in  antici- 


THE   VALLET  1 71 

pation  of  the  gospel  teachings.  It  makes  allusion 
to  legal  forms  only  to  renounce  them  as  being  of 
themselves  unacceptable,  and  insufficient  in  pro- 
curing salvation. 

The  remark,  however,  is  not  true  of  strophe  8, 
which  contradicts  the  first  portion  of  strophe  7 ;  and 
this  fact  inclines  us  strongly  to  the  view  of  those 
critics  who,  on  various  and  seemingly  conclusive 
grounds,  consider  that  strophe  an  addition  of  later 
days.  They  surmise  that  it  was  annexed  after  the 
Captivity,  when  the  walls  of  Jerusalem  were  re- 
building, in  order  to  adapt  the  psalm  to  liturgical 
use.  (  Tholuck,  Koster,  Perowne,  et  al.)  It  cer- 
tainly seems  that  this  strophe  does  not  accord 
entirely  with  the  evangelical  tone  of  those  preced- 
ing it,  and  that  the  self-forgetfulness  it  manifests 
does  not  correspond  with  the  intensely  unipersonal 
bearing  of  every  other  word  of  the  psalm.  More- 
over, the  cadence  of  strophe  7  forms  a  complete, 
harmonious,  and  beautiful  close. 

In  the  Psalter  this  psalm  begins  a  series  of  fif- 
teen psalms,  all  ascribed  to  David  by  their  titles, 
and  remarkable  for  the  prevalent,  though  not  ex- 
clusive, use  of  the  divine  name,  Elohim  (rendered 
God),  rather  than  Jehovah,  whence  they  are  some- 
times called  the  Elohistic  Psalms.  It  is  certainly 
worthy  of  note  that  in  the  one  before  us  the  name 
Jehovah  does  not  occur.1  Its  absence  may  in  this 
case  be  accounted  for  by  David's  feeling  that  his 
transgressions  had  at  least  suspended  for  him  the 
privileges  assured  to  God's  people  by  the  covenant 
name.  Elsewhere  he  is  frequent  and  fond  in  the 
phrase  Jehovah  our  God,  but  in  his  present  frame 
he  did  not  dare  to  claim  this  nearuess,  and  there- 
in strophe  6  the  word  rendered  Lord  is  Adonai,  not  Jeho- 
vah, though  many  uncritical  editions  of  the  Authorized  Version 
(improperly)  print  it  in  small  capitals. 


172  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

fore  addresses  him  only  from  the  lower  common 
ground  of  sinful  humanity. 

When  David  came  to  realize  his  state  before 
God,  his  restoration  to  divine  favor,  he  gave  vent 
to  his  joy  and  gratitude  in  Psalm  xxxii.  : 

Blessed  is  he  whose  transgression  is  forgiven, 

Whose  sin  is  covered  ; 
Blessed  is  the  man  unto  whom  the  Lord  imputeth  not 

And  in  whose  spirit  there  is  no  guile.       [iniquity, 

This  psalm,  already  referred  to,  is  one  t>f  David's 
noblest  works,  and  should  be  studied  in  connec- 
tion with  Psalm  li.,  of  which  it  is  the  sequel.  It 
is  marred  in  the  Authorized  Version  by  a  bad 
translation  of  the  ninth  verse. 

§3.  Perhaps  it  is  needful  to  notice  the  oft-re- 
peated question :  How  could  David,  who  was  guilty 
of  such  heinous  crimes,  be  "  a  man  after  God's 
own  heart?"  The  expression  occurs  but  twice  in 
Scripture:  first,  in  I  Samuel  xiii.  14.  This  was 
early  in  David's  life,  and  at  that  time  he  might, 
perhaps  as  much  as  any  man  that  has  lived,  have 
been  the  object  of  his  Maker's  complacency.  But 
the  phrase  does  not  indicate  complacency.  In 
Hebrew  usage  the  reins  were  the  seat  of  the  feel- 
ings and  affections,  and  the  heart  quite  generally 
the  seat  of  the  will,  choice,  volition.  Certainly 
in  this  case  the  word  has  no  other  significance. 
The  phrase  merely  means  the  man  whom  God  has 
chosen  to  take  the  place  of  the  rejected  Saul,  and 
it  conveys  no  approbation  more  than  is  necessarily 


THE   VALLET  ,   J73 

implied  in  the  choice.  The  other  occurrence  of 
the  expression  is  in  Acts  xiii.  22,  where  the  former 
passage  is  quoted  in  the  same  sense. 

The  essential  difficulty  is  not,  however,  hereby 
removed;  for  it  is  unquestionable  that  God  did 
regard  David  with  special  favor  and  approbation, 
as  many  passages  plainly  state — e.g.,  i  Kings  xv. 
3-5.  But,  we  should  remember  that  if  God  ap- 
proves any  one  of  our  race  it  must  be  in  spite  of 
sins  and  sinfulness.  God  looks  at  the  heart,  and 
who  of  us  that  knows  anything  of  his  own  heart 
can  say  that  he  is  better  or  purer  than  was  David  ? 
or  if  pressed  by  similar  temptations,  would  not 
fall  as  low?  Had  the  best  and  purest  man  that  we 
know  been  brought  up  under  an  eastern  sun,  and 
endowed  with  a  sensitive  -and  passionate  nature, 
with  that  poetic  temperament  so  susceptible  to  im- 
pressions from  without,  and  so  quickly  inflamed 
to  enthusiasm,  to  love,  hate,  and  resentment,  so 
deeply  stirred  by  shame  and  public  disgrace,  and 
by  the  pangs  of  remorse ;  were  he  then  raised  to 
the  throne  of  an  absolute  oriental  monarchy,  with 
all  its  freedom  from  responsibility  and  customary 
indulgence  of  every  caprice ;  then  were  he  tempted 
as  David  was — can  we  be  sure  he  would  not  fall? 
One  false  step  taken,  the  descent  to  Avernus  is 
proverbially  easy. 


1 74  J UDA  'vS  JE  WELS 

Neither  these  considerations,  nor  any  others, 
can  excuse  or  palliate  crime,  but  may  well  make 
us  pause  before  passing  harsh  comparative  judg- 
ment. Some  Rabbis  of  former  times,  and  in  later 
times  Bayle  and  sneering  critics  of  his  sort,  have 
exaggerated  to  the  utmost  the  dark  features  in 
David's  career.  In  their  best  aspect  these  are 
dark  enough,  but  it  is  only  a  partial,  superficial 
view  if  one  look  not  within.  God  looks  within, 
and  though  he  hates  sin,  and  will  surely  punish  it, 
either  in  the  sinner  or  in  his  substitute,  yet  he  has 
so  ordered  in  his  infinite  wisdom  and  love  that  he 
can  hide  his  face  from  sins  and  blot  out  iniquities. 
All  he  demands  is  a  broken  and  a  contrite  heart. 
And  where  can  we  find  clearer  evidence  of  this 
hearty  penitence  than  in  David,  who  from  the  time 
of  his  transgression  went  mourning  all  through  the 
remnant  of  his  days? 

Moreover,  throughout  his  life  David's  eyes  were 
ever  toward  the  Lord.  He  stumbled  and  fell,  but 
his  cry  was  to  his  helper.  Whenever  cast  down 
by  the  adversary,  his  heart  rebounded  Godward. 
His  life  had  eddies  like  a  river,  and  his  great  sin 
was  a  whirlpool,  but  the  main  current  was  con- 
stantly onward.  His  whole  course  was  a  fearful 
and  never-ceasing  struggle,  and  this  it  is  that  our 
God  looks  upon  with  approval  and  complacency. 


THE    VALLET  175 

I  cannot  refrain  from  quoting  the  oft-quoted,  and 
now  classical,  passage  from  "  Heroes  and  Hero 
Worship,"  by  the  cynical,  and  sometimes  savage, 
Carlyle,  a  sort  of  literary  iconoclast,  wielding  at 
will  a  sledge-hammer,  a  rapier,  or  a  dissecting 
knife,  and  who  does  not  redeem  his  habitual  se- 
verity by  being  an  indulgent  critic  of  sacred  char- 
acters. Yet  hear  him  in  this  case:  "  Faults,"  says 
he,  "  the  greatest  of  faults  I  should  say,  is  to  be 
conscious  of  none.  Readers  of  the  Bible,  above 
all,  one  would  think,  might  know  better.  Who 
is  called  there  the  man  according  to  God's  own 
heart?  David,  the  Hebrew  king,  had  fallen  into 
sins  enough;  blackest  crimes;  there  was  no  want 
of  sins.  And  thereupon  unbelievers  sneer,  and 
ask:  Is  this  your  man  according  to  God's  heart? 
The  sneer,  I  must  say,  seems  to  me  but  a  shallow 
one.  What  are  faults?  what  are  the  outward  de- 
tails of  a  life,  if  the  inner  secret  of  it,  the  remorse, 
temptations,  the  often  baffled,  never-ending  strug- 
gle of  it,  be  forgotten?  It  is  not  in  man  that  walk- 
eth  to  direct  his  steps.  Of  all  acts,  is  not,  for  a 
man,  repentance  the  most  divine?  The  deadliest 
sin,  I  say,  were  that  same  supercilious  conscious- 
ness of  no  sin.  That  is  death.  The  heart  so  con- 
scious is  divorced  from  sincerity,  humility;  in  fact 
is  dead.  It  is  pure,  as  dead,  dry  sand  is  pure.  • 


1 7  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

David's  life  and  history,  as  written  for  us  in  those 
psalms  of  his,  I  consider  to  be  the  truest  emblem 
ever  given  of  a  man's  moral  progress  and  warfare 
here  below.  All  earnest  souls  will  ever  discern  in 
it  the  faithful  struggle  of  an  earnest  human  soul 
toward  what  is  good  and  best.  Struggle,  often 
baffled  sore,  baffled  down  into  entire  wreck,  yet  a 
struggle  never  ended;  ever  with  tears,  repentance, 
true,  unconquerable  purpose  begun  anew.  Poor 
human  nature !  Is  not  a  man's  walking  in  truth 
always  that — a  succession  of  falls?  Man  can  do 
no  other.  In  this  wild  element  of  a  life  he  has  to 
struggle  upward;  now  fallen,  now  abased;  and 
ever  with  tears,  repentance,  and  bleeding  heart 
he  has  to  rise  again,  struggle  again,  still  onward. 
That  his  struggle  be  a  faithful,  unconquerable  one, 
that  is  the  question  of  questions." 

§4.  Nathan  had  said  unto  David:  Thou  shalt 
not  die;  howbeit,  because  by  this  deed  thou  hast 
given  great  occasion  to  the  enemies  of  the  Lord  to 
blaspheme,  the  child  that  is  born  unto  thee  shall 
surely  die.  He  was  not  to  be  exempt  from  chas- 
tisement. It  was  manifest  that,  though  forgiven, 
he  needed  discipline;  and  in  this  bereavement, 
which  greatly  distressed  the  tender-hearted  father, 
and  in  the  long  and  painful  series  of  afflictions  that 


THE   VALLET  1 77 

occupied  subsequent  years,  the  trial  of  his  faith, 
though  tried  with  fire,  was  found  unto  praise  and 
honor  and  glory.  So  the  enemies  of  the  Lord, 
though  they  seize  this  occasion  to  blaspheme,  yet 
are  estopped  from  saying  that  God  sanctioned  guilt 
or  cleared  the  guilty. 

It  is  worthy  of  note  here  that  the  bereavement 
is  the  only  one  of  these  retributive  afflictions  named 
by  Nathan.  Why  so?  Perhaps  because  the  rest 
were  the  natural  consequences  of  the  sin,  their  con- 
nection with  it  was  obvious,  and  needed  not  to  be 
specified.  We  say  natural  consequence,  because 
there  is  a  chain  of  cause  and  effect  in  the  moral 
as  well  as  in  the  physical  sphere.  The  two  are 
often  interlinked,  but  even  where  apparently  inde- 
pendent, it  is  true  that  moral  effects  follow  moral 
causes  just  as  inevitably  and  with  the  same  absolute 
inherent  necessity  as  physical  effects  follow  phys- 
ical causes.  Our  calculus  does  not  solve  that  prob- 
lem; nevertheless,  in  the  accumulated  experience 
of  mankind,  in  the  lessons  of  history,  we  do  not 
hesitate  to  trace  moral  causation,  and  in  our  per- 
sonal relations  we  do  not  hesitate  to  predict  moral 
effects.  Now  forgiveness  of  sin  does  not  imply 
the  rupture  of  this  chain.  God  does  not  work  a 
miracle  counteracting  his  natural  laws  when  he  par- 
dons. Were  one,  standing  on  the  pinnacle  of  the 
12 


1 78  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

temple,  to  cast  himself  down,  expecting  safety  by 
God's  intervention,  we  should  say  he  were  guilty 
of  presumptuous  folly.  The  same  folly  is  his  who 
hopes  to  escape  the  natural  consequences  of  his 
misdeeds,  although  by  repentance  he  may  be  al- 
ready restored  to  God's  favor,  and  although  in 
them  all  it  is  a  merciful  Father  that  deals  with  him, 
and  not  an  impersonal  destiny. 

So  the  inexorable  consequences  of  David's  guilt 
came  upon  him  and  his  in  dire  calamities.  The 
father's  example  led  his  children  into  incest  and 
fratricide.1  Then  came  the  banishment  of  Absa- 
lom, then  his  nearly  successful  rebellion  and  med- 
itated parricide,  then  his  death,  then  years  after- 
wards the  rebellion  of  Adonijah.  There  is  no  end 
of  evil.  Thus  David  passed  from  mature  manhood 
to  old  age  amid  the  bitterest  distresses. 

§5.  Five  years  after  the  murder  of  Ammon  by 
Absalom,  David  kissed  him.  Very  soon  began 
the  plot  for  dethronement.2  When  the  conspir- 
acy was  nearly  ripe,  David  was  laid  low  by  dis- 
ease. Of  this  affliction  we  have  perhaps  not  even 
an  intimation  in  the  narrative,  but  we  have  a  thrill- 
ing record  of  it  in  certain  psalms  composed  upon 
the  couch  of  suffering.  His  physical  pain  was 

1  2  Samuel  xiii.  a  2  Samuel  xv. 


THE   VALLET  1 79 

aggravated  by  mental  anguish.  For  David  evi- 
dently suspected  the  machinations  of  the  conspira- 
tors, and  found  himself  powerless  to  thwart  them. 
Ahithophel,  his  prime  counselor  and  his  own  famil- 
iar friend,  with  whom  he  had  often  knelt  before 
the  altar  of  God,  was  lending  countenance  to  Absa- 
lom's schemes,  and  in  some  way  excited  David's 
distrust.  His  words  were  softer  than  oil,  yet  were 
they  drawn  swords.1  The  court  and  the  people 
were  slandering  the  king  for  crimes  unknown  to 
him;  also  they  pronounced  him  hopelessly  dis- 
eased and  an  imbecile.2  The  conspirators  fo- 
mented these  slanders  to  justify  their  procedures, 
and  his  name  became  a  common  scoff.  Says  he: 

They  that  sit  in  the  gate  speak  against  me ; 
And  I,  the  song  of  the  drunkards !  3 

Besides  the  bodily  pain  and  this  mental  distress, 
the  sufferer's  sin  was  ever  before  him.  He  recog- 
nizes in  his  prostration  the  rebuke  of  God.  He 
cHes:  Chasten  me  not  in  thy  hot  displeasure; — 

For  thine  arrows  stick  fast  in  me, 
And  thy  hand  presseth  me  sore. 
No  soundness  in  my  flesh, 

Because  of  thine  anger; 
Neither  rest  in  my  bones, 

Because  of  my  sin.4 

•Psalm  lv.  21.  2Psalm  xli.  5-9.  'Psalm  Ixix.  12. 

*Psalm  xxxviii.  2,  3. 


1 80  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

He  complains  that  his  lovers  and  friends  stand 
aloof,  and  his  kinsmen  afar  off,  that  his  enemies 
are  lively  and  strong;  and  he  cries  aloud: 

Forsake  me  not,  O  LORD, 
O  my  God,  be  not  far  from  me. 
Make  haste  to  help  me, 
O  Lord  of  my  salvation.1 

There  are  five  psalms  directly  referable  to  this 
occasion,  vi.  and  xxxviii.— xli.  The  four  latter  are 
consecutively  placed  in  the  Psalter,  probably  in 
the  order  of  composition.2  The  fortieth  seems  to 
have  been  written  in  an  interval  of  comparative 
tranquillity,  and  in  the  hope  of  speedy  recovery, 
but  the  forty-first  indicates  a  relapse  and  a  renew- 
al of  all  his  troubles.  These  psalms  are  inestima- 
bly precious  to  the  sick,  and  to  those  distressed  by 
the  estrangement  of  friends  and  kindred.  In  many 
a  darkened  chamber  they  have  come  like  a  beam 
of  benign  light  upon  the  soul  drawing  nigh  unto 
death.  They  come,  too,  with  a  soft  and  soothing 
sympathy  in  times  of  isolation  and  abandonment, 
and  lift  up  the  sinking  heart  to  God.  How  from 
the  crushed  leaf  drops  the  healing  balm !  David 
hati  himself  a  similar  consolation.  He  remem- 
bered the  afflictions  of  Job,  and  these  his  sad 

i  Psalm  xxxviii.  21,  22.  *  Psalm  cii.  is  in  a  similar  vein, 

but  is  probably  a  psalm  of  the  Captivity. 


THE   VALLET  l8l 


elegies  are  full  of  reminiscences  and  allusions  to 
the  great  poem  of  sorrow,  and  also  to  the  dirge- 
like  Psalm  of  Moses  (Psalm  xc.),  both  which,  no 
doubt,  he  studied  with  profoundest  emotion.  We 
may  imagine  that  Seraiah,  his  secretary,  often  read 
favorite  passages  to  him,  just  as  these  psalms  of 
his  are  now  read  at  the  bedside  of  suffering. 

While  he  lay  helpless,  waiting  patiently  for  the 
Lord,  the  conspirators  sought  to  entrap  him  in  his 
words,  that  they  might  justify  their  schemes.  He 
was  in  danger  of  giving  them  ground  to  accuse 
him  and  denounce  him  as  a  reprobate.  He  says: 

They  also  that  seek  after  my  life  lay  snares  for  me ; 
And  they  that  seek  my  hurt  speak  mischievous  things, 
And  imagine  deceits  all  the  day  long. 

He  resolves  to  be  silent,  and  to  trust  in  God : 

But  I,  as  a  deaf  man,  heard  not, 

And  as  a  dumb  man,  opened  not  my  mouth. 
Thus  was  I  as  a  man  that  heareth  not, 

And  in  whose  mouth  are  no  reproofs. 
For  in  thee,  O  LORD,  do  I  hope ; 

Thou  wilt  answer,  O  Lord  my  God. 
Lest  when  my  foot  slippeth, 

They  magnify  themselves  against  me.1 

This  silence  brought  no  comfort.     Turning  his 

1  Psalm  xxxviii.  12-16. 


1 82  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

thoughts  away  from  the  outer  world,  his  heart 
grew  hot  as  he  began  to  reflect  upon  his  own  con- 
dition, and  his  sad  musings  found  utterance  in  ir- 
repressible words.  Perhaps  he  dictated  to  Seraiah 
Psalm  xxxix.,  on  the  Brevity  and  Vanity  of  Life. 
It  begins  in  a  narrative  or  descriptive  tone,  but 
soon  passes  over  into  plaintive  prayer  and  medita- 
tion. 

i 

I  said,  I  will  take  heed  to  my  ways, 

That  I  sin  not  with  my  tongue ; 
I  will  keep  my  mouth  with  a  bridle, 

While  the  wicked  is  before  me. 

ii 

I  was  dumb  with  silence, 

I  held  my  peace  even  from  good, 

And  my  sorrow  was  stirred. 
My  heart  was  hot  within  me, 

While  I  was  musing  the  fire  kindled ; 

Then  spake  I  with  my  tongue : 


NOTES.  —  Strophe  i.  A  bridle,  rather  a  muzzle.  In  Psalm 
cxli.  3  he  prays: 

Set  a  watch,  O  Lord,  before  my  mouth, 
Keep  the  door  of  my  lips. 

Compare  also  James  iii.  2,  ff ;  and  Job  ii.  10. 

Strophe.  2.  With  silence,  with  silent  submission. — even  from 
good;  literally,  away  from  prosperity.  This  is  very  obscure. 
It  does  not  mean,  as  commonly  supposed:  Refrained  from 
speaking  even  good,  sound,  safe,  righteous  words.  Probably 
it  means:  Silence  brought  no  relief,  no  comfort.  (Huff eld.) 


THE   VALLET  183 

III 
LORD,  make  me  to  know  mine  end, 

And  the  measure  of  my  days,  what  it  is, 

Let  me  know  how  frail  I  am. 

Behold,  thou  hast  made  my  days  as  hand-breadths, 
And  mine  age  is  as  nothing  before  thee, 

Surely  every  man  at  his  best  state  is  altogether 

[  vanity. — Selah. 

IV 

Surely  every  man  walketh  in  a  vain  show, 
Surely  they  are  disquieted  in  vain ; 

He  heapeth  up  riches,  and  knoweth  not  who  shall 

[gather  them. 

My  heart;  this  describes  a  mental  struggle.  Silence  became 
impossible.  The  flame  bursts  forth  in  prayer.  (Cf.  Job  xxxii. 
18-20.) 

Strophe  3.  As  in  Psalm  xc.  12: 

So  teach  us  to  number  our  days, 

That  we  may  get  us  an  heart  of  wisdom. 

Surely;  the  text  of  the  Preacher,  in  Ecclesiastes.  —  vanity; 
Heb.,  a  breath. 

Strophe  4.  Surely,  he  says  to  himself,  it  is  true.    Every  man 
walketh  as  a  shadow — literally,  as  an  image. 

He  cometW  forth  like  a  flower,  and  is  cut  down; 

He  fleeth  also  as  a  shadow,  and  continueth  not.    (Job  xiv.  2.) 

"  Ptilvis  et  umbra  snmus."  (Horace.)  Cf.  also  Psalm  cxliv.  4. — 
disquieted  in  vain ;  more  accurately,  mere  empty  sounds,  vana 
voces.  2/adf  dvap  avBpunoi.  (Pindar.)  Riches ;  a  word  supplied 
by  the  translators;  sheaves  would  better  correspond  with  gather. 
We  think  of  the  Rich  Fool.  (Luke  xii.  16-21.)  Cf.  Psalm 
xlix.  6-10.  David  had  been  heaping  up  materials  for  the  Tem- 
ple, but  knew  not  who  should  build. 


184  JUDA  >S  JE  WELS 

V 

And  now,  Lord,  what  wait  I  for? 
My  hope  is  in  thee. 

Deliver  me  from  all  my  transgressions ; 
Make  me  not  the  reproach  of  the  foolish. 

VI 

I  was  dumb, 

I  opened  not  my  mouth 

j 
Because  thou  didst  it. 

Remove  thy  stroke  away  from  me ; 

I  am  consumed  by  the  blow  of  thy  hand. 

VII 

When  thou  with  rebukes  dost  correct  man  for  iniquity, 
Thou  makest  his  beauty  to  consume  away  like  a  moth  ; 
Surely  every  man  is  vanity. — Selah. 


Strophe  5.  "  He  turns  away,  as  it  were,  with  a  sense  of  relief 
from  the  sad  contemplation  of  man's  fleeting,  transitory  life, 
to  fix  the  eye  of  his  heart  on  Him  who  abideth  forever.  We 
seem  almost  to  hear  the  deep  sigh  with  which  the  words  are 
uttered."  (Perowne.) — My  hope.  The  Heb.  here  is  so  similar 
to  Job  xiii.  15  that  it  looks  like  a  quotation  of:  Though  he  slay 
me,  yet  will  I  trust  in  him. — Deliver;  this  is  his  first  need. — re- 
proach, the  scorn  of  fools. 

Strophe  6.  Dumb,  not  murmuring.  (Cf.  2  Samuel  xii.  20-23 
and  Job  xl.  5.) — consumed.  (Cf.  Psalm  xc.  7.): 

We  are  consumed  by  thine  anger, 
And  by  thy  wrath  are  we  troubled. 

Strophe  7.  With  rebukes.  (Cf.  Psalm  xc.  8,  9.)— his  beauty, 
disappears  as  if  eaten  by  moths,  as  in  Job  xiii.  28: 

And  he  as  a  rotten  thing  consumeth, 
As  a  garment  that  is  moth-eaten. 


THE   VALLEY  185 


VIII 

Hear  my  prayer,  O  LORD, 
And  give  ear  unto  my  cry ; 

Hold  not  thy  peace  at  my  tears. 
For  I  am  a  stranger  with  thee, 
A  sojourner,  as  all  my  fathers  were. 

IX 

O  spare  me, 

That  I  may  recover  strength, 

Before  I  go  hence, 

And  be  no  more. 


For  a  beauty  that  is  imperishable,  see  Psalm  xc.  17.  The  last 
line  is  a  refrain;  see  strophe  3. 

Strophe  8.  A  stranger,  rather  a  guest. — A  sojourner.  In  i 
Chronicles  xxix.  15,  David  says:  For  we  are  strangers  before 
thee,  and  sojourners,  as  were  all  our  fathers.  (Cf.  Hebrews 
xi.  13,  and  Ephesians  ii.  19.) 

Strofhe  9.  Again  reminiscent  of  Job. — O  spare  me;  literally, 
Look  away  from  me — »'.  <?.,  Turn  away  thy  wrathful  counte- 
nance. Turn  from  him  that  he  may  rest.  (Job  xiv.  6.)  Re- 
cover strength;  literally,  that  I  may  shine — as  light  dawning 
from  darkness.  See  the  following  beautiful  passage  from  Job 
x.  20-22,  where  the  expression  rendered  take  comfort  is  the 
same  as  that  here  rendered  recover  strength: 

Are  not  my  days  few? 

Cease  then  and  let  me  alone, 

That  I  may  take  comfort  a  little 

Before  I  go  whence  I  shall  not  return, 

Even  to  the  land  of  darkness,  and  the  shadow  of  death; 

A  land  of  thick  darkness,  as  darkness  itself, 

And  of  the  shadow  of  death,  without  any  order, 

And  where  the  light  is  as  darkness. 

And  be  no  more ;  Enoch  was  not  (same  Heb.  word),  for  God 


1 86  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

Ewald  pronounces  this  "  the  most  beautiful  of 
all  the  elegies  in  the  Psalter."  It  is  intimately  as- 
sociated in  our  minds  with  the  ninetieth  Psalm,  the 
two  forming  a  part  of  every  burial. service. 

The  above  arrangement  seems  to  be  justified  by 
obvious  parallelisms  and  by  pauses  in  the -sense. 
There  are  two  general  divisions:  The  first,  of 
four  strophes,  includes  an  explanatory  introduction 
(strophes  i,  2);  a  prayer  (strophe  3);  and  a  so- 
liloquy or  meditation  (strophe  4).  In  form  this 
part  is  characterized,  after  the  first  quatrain,  by 
tristichs;  those  of  strophes  2  and  3  are  double,  the 
tristichs  being  parallel  to  each  other.  The  refrain 
and  Selah,  in  the  last  line  of  strophe  3,  close  tht? 
prayer.  In  this  prayer  he  asks,  Make  me  to  know 
so  that  the  truth  may  go  home  to  my  heart.  He 
wants  to  realize  deeply  the  fact  of  the  brevity  and 
uncertainty  of  life.  The  second  tristich  begins, 
Behold  !  an  exclamation  of  wonder,  as  if,  in  prompt 
answer,  a  sudden  conviction,  deeper  and  more 
practical  than  heretofore,  had  come  upon  him. 
Here  the  Selah  with  the  refrain  marks  an  unques- 
tionable pause;  how,  then,  are  we  to  explain  the 
next  tristich,  strophe  4?  This  has  been  done  va- 
riously. It  would  seem  simple  and  satisfactory  to 
regard  it  as  a  soliloquy,  endorsing  and  emphasizing 
the  answer,  declaring  it  to  harmonize  with  com- 
mon observation.  Then  the  prayer  is  resumed. 

The  second  general  division  renews  the  prayer, 
which  continues  to  the  close.  It  is  subdivided 
into  two  parts  by  the  refrain  and  Selah,  strophe  7. 

took  him.    (Genesis  v.  24.)    Job  vii.  8  is  another  parallel  pat- 
sage: 

The  eye  of  him  that  seeth  me 
Shall  behold  me  no  more; 
Thine  eyes  shall  be  upon  me, 
But  I  shall  not  be. 


THE  VALLET  187 

The  symmetry  of  the  introverted  structure  of  this 
second  part  is  sufficiently  obvious  to  the  eye.  The 
tristich,  strophe  7,  which  lies  in  the  middle,  is  an 
echo  of  the  tristich  structure  of  the  first  portion  of 
the  ode,  and  especially  of  the  second  tristich  of 
strophe  3,  to  which  it  is  parallel.  Strophe  9  is  the 
short  panting  of  a  fainting  spirit. 

§  6.  The  incidents  of  the  rebellion  of  Absalom 
should  be  studied  by  everyone  who  would  under- 
stand the  psalms  to  which  it  gave  occasion.  It 
seems  to  have  occurred  immediately  on  the  recov- 
ery of  the  king.  The  circumstances  are  minutely 
detailed .  with  graphic  vividness,  and  often  with 
rare  pathos.1  The  mustering  of  the  rebels  at  He- 
bron, the  defection  of  Ahithophel,  the  march  on 
Jerusalem,  the  flight  of  the  king,  the  faithful  ad- 
herence of  his  bodyguard  under  the  noble  Ittai, 
the  commission  of  the  priests  and  of  Hushai,  the 
artifice  of  Ziba,  the  insults  of  Cushai  (Shimei), 
the  encampment  of  the  fugitives  near  Jericho — all 
pass  before  our  eyes  as  an  historic  panorama. 

For  the  night  spent  near  Jericho  and  for  the 
next  morning  were  probably  composed  the  sweet 
evening  and  morning  hymns,  Psalms  iv.  and  v. 

12  Samuel  xv.-xvii.  Dryden  uses  this  narrative  as  a  frame 
for  his  poem,  the  noted  political  satire  of  the  times  of  Charles 
II.,  "Absalom  and  Achitophel,"  by  which  names  he  alludes  to 
Monmouth  and  Lord  Shaftesbury. 


1 88  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

David's  youthful  habit  of  daily  devotion  probably 
continued  with  him  throughout  life.  Delitzsch 
gives  us  this  pretty  legend  from  the  Talmud: 
"A  cither  hung  at  all  times  over  David's  bed, 
and  when  the  midnight  came,  the  north  wind 
blew  upon  the  strings,  so  that  it  sounded  of  itself; 
he  arose  at  once,  and  occupied  himself  with  the 
law  until  the  pillars  of  the  dawn  arose."  To  this 
custom  he  alludes,  say  the  Rabbis,  in  Psalm  Ivii.  8: 
Awake,  my  soul;  awake,  psaltery  and  harp;  and 
I  will  awake  the  dawn.  Our  fancy  can  easily 
adapt  this  story  to  the  writing  of  the  morning 
hymn.  During  this  next  day,  perhaps  the  Sab- 
bath, while  waiting  in  the  wilderness  of  Judah  for 
news  from  Jerusalem,  David  probably  wrote  Psalm 
Ixiii.  (see  its  title),  in  which  he  longs  for  the  serv- 
ices of  the  sanctuary.  "This,"  says  Perowne, 
"  is  unquestionably  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and 
touching  psalms  in  the  whole  Psalter."  And 
Donne  says:  "It  is  one  of  the  imperial  psalms, 
that  command  all  affections,  and  spread  themselves 
overall  occasions;  catholic,  universal  psalms,  that 
apply  to  all  necessities."  And  again:  "  The  spirit 
and  soul  of  the  whole  Psalter  is  contracted  into 
this  psalm." 

When  the  news  came,  David  crossed  the  Jor- 
dan, and  finally  took  up  his  post  at  Mahanaim,  a 


THE   VALLEY  1 89 

strongly  fortified  and  friendly  city,  probably  on  the 
rivet  Jabbok.  Jacob  had  given  the  spot  this  name, 
meaning,  T^e  two  camps,  because  there,  in  a  time 
of  danger,  he  had  seen  in  a  vision  the  Lord's  host 
on  his  right  hand  and  on  his  left. 

The  angel  of  the  Lord  encampeth  around  about  them 
And  delivered!  them.1  [that  fear  him, 

"Now  for  about  three  months," 2  says  Dean 
Stanley,  •'  the  whole  interest  is  transferred,  for 
the  only  time  in  the  history  of  Israel,  to  the  trans- 
Jordanic  territory."  David  occupied  himself  with 
assembling  and  organizing  an  army  to  encounter 
the  impending  attack  of  Israel  under  Absalom  and 
Amasa.  We  may  be  very  sure  that  he  did  not 
cease  often  to  pour  out  his  soul,  a  libation  before 
God,  in  psalmody.  To  him  it  was  given  to  sing. 
It  was  the  constraint  of  his  nature.  A  change  of 
fortune  only  changed  the  key  of  his  melodies,  va- 
rying from  the  triumphant  major  of  the  Tehillah, 
the  Song  of  Praise,  to  the  plaintive  minor  of  the 
Tephillah,  the  Prayer  of  Loving  Trust.3 


i  Psalm  xxxiv.  7. 

*This  is  Ewald's  estimate  of  the  time,  now  generally  accept- 
ed. Jewish  tradition,  given  by  Jerome,  makes  it  six  months. 

3 Commonly  referred  to  this  time  are  Psalms  xxviii.,  lv.,  Ixi., 
Ixlx.,  Ixx.,  and  some  others  which  are  not  inappropriate  to  his 
present  exiled  condition. 


190  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

We  will  quote  Psalms  xlii.,  xliii.,  as  vividly  ex- 
pressing his  feelings  at  this  time.  The  two  are 
one  composition,  and  should  never  be  separated. 
It  was  not,  however,  written  by  David,  though 
popularly  ascribed  to  him  because  of  its  entire 
suitableness  to  his  condition,  and  because  it  is 
in  the  exact  style,  and  breathes  the  spirit  of  the 
royal  psalmist.  It  was  written  for  him  by  one  of 
his  faithful  followers,  one  of  the  sons  of  Korah  (so 
biblical  scholars  generally  agree),  who  had  been 
devoted  to  the  musical  services  of  the  sanctuary — 
by  one  who  was  in  complete  sympathy  with  the 
exiled  king,  and  had  caught  his  poetic  fervor. 
The  genius  displayed  in  this  composition  is  so  un- 
surpassed, that  it  is  hard  to  give  up  the  belief  that 
it  came  from  the  sweet  singer  himself.  Ewald 
thinks  it  superior  to  all  others  in  artistic  form,  and 
that  "  the  imagery  also  in  all  its  details  is  in  the 
highest  degree  tender  and  poetical." 

In  reading  this  exquisite  elegy  we  must  not  for- 
get the  painful  circumstances  of  David,  in  whose 
name  we  may  at  least  assume  that  the  psalmist 
speaks.  During  his  three  months  of  exile  he  felt 
keenly  the  loss  of  the  services  of  the  tabernacle; 
and  especially  when  the  Sabbaths  came  round  in 
their  priestly  procession  did  he  long  to  go  up  to 
the  courts  of  the  Lord.  His  tears  could  not 


THE   VALLET  191 

quench  this  spiritual  thirst.  His  soul  sinks  within 
him  when  gazing  on  the  unfamiliar  and  unloved 
scenery  east  of  the  Jordan,  on  Hermon  and  Mizar 
clad  in  armor  of  ice.  When  he  hears  in  the  still- 
ness of  night  the  roar  of  distant  mountain  cat- 
aracts, he  fancies  that  in  the  abyss  wherein  he  is 
plunged  the  boisterous  waves  and  billows,  striving 
to  overwhelm  him,  are  shouting  encouragement  to 
each  other.  He  complains  that  God  has  forgotten 
him,  and  that  he  is  made  the  scorn  of  fools,  who 
ask:  Where  is  thy  God?  But  he  confides  his 
cause  to  God ;  the  trust  inspires  hope  that  he  may 
yet  bow  before  his  altars,  and  satisfy  his  heart's 
deepest  desire: 

i 

As  the  hart  panteth  after  the  water  brooks, 
So  panteth  my  soul  after  thee,  O  God. 
My  soul  thirsteth  for  God,  for  the  living  God ; 
When  shall  I  come  and  appear  before  God  ? 
My  tears  have  been  my  meat  day  and  night, 
While  they  continually  say  unto  me,  Where  is  thy  God  ? 


NOTES. — Strophe  i.  The  hart,  the  wild  gazelle  of  that  region. 
— my  meat,  my  food.  "  Cura  dolorque  animi,  lacrimacque  ali- 
mentafuere"  ( Ovid.) 

For  I  have  eaten  ashes  like  bread, 
And  mingled  my  drink  with  weeping. 

(Psalm  cii.g.) 


1 92  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

II 

These  things  I  remember, 
And  pour  out  my  soul  within  me ; 
How  I  went  with  the  throng, 
And  led  them  to  the  house  of  God, 
With  the  voice  of  joy  and  praise, 
A  multitude  keeping  holyday. 

in 

Why  art  thou  cast  down,  O  my  soul? 
And  why  art  thou  disquieted  within  me? 
Hope  thou  in  God ;  for  I  shall  yet  praise  him 
For  the  help  of  his  countenance. 

IV 

O  my  God,  my  soul  is  cast  down  within  me ; 

Therefore  do  I  remember  thee 

From  the  land  of  Jordan,  and  the  Hermons, 

From  the  hill  Mizar.' 

Deep  calleth  unto  deep  at  the  noise  of  thy  waterspouts  ; 

All  thy  waves  and  thy  billows  are  gone  over  me. 


Strophe  a.  A  festive  procession. 

Strophe  3.  In  the  refrain,  he  turns  from  prayer  to  address 
his  own  soul,  a  natural  and  beautiful  reversion.  "  Castigat 
sttam  mollitiem."  (Calvin.')  Many  Hebraists  consider  the  first 
words  of  strophe  4,  "O  my  God,"  to  belong  to  the  close  of  this 
refrain.  If  so,  a  correct  translation  would  make  the  language 
of  the  refrain,  in  its  three  cases,  identical.  It  is  questionable 
whether  this  would  be  a  rhetorical  gain.  The  law  of  the  re- 
frain does  not  require  identity. 

Strophe  4.  Hermons;  this  is  best  explained  by  considering 


THE   VALLBT  193 

V 

Yet  the  LORD  will  command  his  loving-kindness  in  the 
And  in  the  night  his  song  shall  be  with  me,    [daytime, 
Even  a  prayer  unto  the  God  of  my  life. 
I  will  say  unto  God  my  rock : 

Why  hast  thou  forgotten  me?  ("enemy? 

Why  go  I  mourning  because  of  the  oppression  of  the 
As  with  a  sword  in  my  bones,  mine  adversaries  re- 

[proach  me, 
While  they  continually  say  unto  me,  Where  is  thy  God  ? 

VI 

Why  art  thou  cast  down,  O  my  soul  ? 
And  why  art  thou  disquieted  within  me? 
Hope  thou  in  God ;   for  I  shall  yet  praise  him 
Who  is  the  help  of  my  countenance,  and  my  God. 


that  Mount  Hermon  was  characteristic  of  the  trans-Jordanic, 
as  Mount  Tabor  was  of  the  cis-Jordanic  territory.  Conant  ex- 
plains the  plural  as  "the  three  summits."  Hermon  was  visible 
as  far  south  as  the  Dead  Sea. — Mizar,  is  unknown.  The  word 
means  small,  and  may  be  a  mere  appellative  used  by  way  of 
contrast. — waterspouts;  some  object  to  understanding  cata- 
racts and  insist  on  literal  waterspouts.  Dr.  Thomson  says: 
"In  the  neighborhood  of  Hermon  I  witnessed  waterspouts  re- 
peatedly, and  was  caught  in  one  last  year  which  in  five  minutes 
flooded  the  whole  mountain  side,  and  carried  off  whatever  the 
tumultuous  torrents  encountered,  as  they  leaped  .madly  down 
in  noisy  cascades."  Lynch  described  similar  phenomena. — 
all  thy  waves;  very  appropriately  quoted  by  Jonah,  it.  3. 

Strophe  j.  His  song.    "  God  my  maker,  who  giveth  songs  In 
the  night."    (Job  xxxv.  10.) — my  rock,  a  steep  cliff,  inaccessible 
13 


1 94  JUDA  '5  JE  WELS 

VII 

Judge  me,  O  God, 

And  plead  my  cause  against  an  ungodly  nation ; 
O  deliver  me  from  the  deceitful  and  unjust  man. 
For  thou  art  the  God  of  my  strength ; 
Why  hast  thou  cast  me  off?  [enemy? 

Why  go  I  mourning  because  of  the  oppression  of  the 

VIII 

O  send  out  thy  light  and  thy  truth ; 

Let  them  lead  me,  let  them  bring  me 

Unto  thy  holy  hill,  and  to  thy  tabernacles. 

Then  will  I  go  unto  the  altar  of  God, 

Unto  God  my  exceeding  joy  ; 

And  upon  the  harp  will  I  praise  thee,  O  God,  my  God. 

IX 

Why  art  thou  cast  down,  O  my  soul? 
And  why  art  thou  disquieted  within  me? 
Hope  thou  in  God ;   for  I  shall  yet  praise  him 
Who  is  the  help  of  my  countenance,  and  my  God. 

to  foes.  "The  Lord  is  mj  rock  and  my  fortress."  (Psalm 
xviii.  2.) — with  a  sword  in  my  bones  ;  rather,  with  a  breaking 
(01*  crushing)  my  bones. 

Strophe  7.  An  ungodly  nation,  his  rebellious  subjects. — 
unjust  man,  probably  Ahithophel,  whose  suicide  was  yet 
unknown.  Prayer  answered  by  anticipation.  (See  Isaiah  Ixv. 
24.) 

Strophe  8.  Thy  light  and  thy  truth.  "Instead  of  the  more 
usual  lo-ving-kindness  and  truth,  these  shall  be  to  him,  so  he 
hopes,  as  angels  of  God,  who  shall  lead  him  by  the  hand  until 


THE   VALLEY  1 95 

In  the  title  the  expression  rendered  "  for  the 
sons  of  Korah  "  is  held  by  biblical  scholars  to 
indicate  authorship,  and  cannot  be  justifiably  set 
aside.  We  have  assumed,  however,  that  the  psalm- 
ist speaks  in  David's  name.  The  text  is  that  of 
the  Revised  Version.  At  several  points  the  trans- 
lation might  be  improved,  but  the  words  have  be- 
come household  words,  and  it  would  be  a  sort 
of  sacrilege  to  change  them.  The  structure  is 
symmetrical  and  simple ;  three  nearly  equal  parts, 
indicated  by  the  refrain.  The  separation  of  the 
third  part  in  the  Psalter,  as  a  distinct  psalm,  was 
made  probably  in  adapting  it  to  liturgical  use,  as 
it  has  none  of  the  local  references  of  the  second 
part.  The  only  irregularity  is  found  in  strophe 
5,  it  having  eight  lines,  instead  of  six,  like  the 
others.  It  consists  of  two  tristichs  and  a  distich. 
The  other  strophes  consist  in  some  cases  of  three 
distichs,  in  others  of  two  tristichs.  The  last  dis- 
tich of  strophe  5  is  parallel  to  the  last  of  strophe 
i.  The  second  tristich  of  strophe  7  is  parallel  to 
the  second  of  strophe  5.  The  second  and  third 
lines  of  strophe  8  are  a  peculiar  variation  of  par- 
allelism, equivalent  to  the  usual  form: 

Let  them  lead  me  unto  thy  holy  hill, 
Let  them  bring  me  to  thy  tabernacles. 

The  fundamental  thought  is  a  longing  to  share 
in  the  services  of  the  tabernacle.  The  first  part 
expresses  Desire;  the  second,  Complaint;  the 
third,  Confidence.  "  There  are  two  voices,  de- 
spondency and  trust,  which  at  the  beginning  stand 

they  bring  him  to  the  holy  mountain.  Possibly  there  may  be 
an  allusion  to  the  Urim  and  Thummim."  (Perowne.)  The 
psalm  begins  in  a  very  despondent  tone,  but,  in  this  eighth 
strophe,  rjses  to  almost  joyous  confidence. 


1 96  JUDA  '5  JE  WELS 

out  in  entire  discord  and  almost  harsh  antagonism. 
They  are  at  the  last  brought  into  loving  harmo- 
ny, so  that  emotion  and  insight,  excitement  and 
thoughtfulness,  are  wholly  reconciled  and  inti- 
mately blended.  All  this  is  without  affectation  or 
constraint;  the  true  expression  of  the  struggles 
between  two  contending  forces  in  a  spirit  at  once 
susceptible  of  tenderest  feeling,  yet  upon  reflec- 
tion full  of  strength."  (Eivald.} 

In  a  vein  entirely  similar  to  this  psalm  is  Psalm 
Ixxxiv.,  possibly  by  the  same  writer: 

How  amiable  are  thy  tabernacles,  O  LORD  of  hosts ! 
My  soul  longeth,  yea,  even  fainteth  for  the  courts  of  the 

f  Lord, 
My  heart  and  my  flesh  crieth  out  for  the  living  God. 

§  6.  The  issue  of  the  rebellion  of  Absalom  need 
not  be  narrated  here.  The  restoration  of  David, 
after  the  defeat  and  death  of  his  son,  to  the  throne 
at  Jerusalem,  was  marred  by  the  rebellion  of 
Sheba.  When  this  had  been  crushed  by  Joab's 
energy,  public  affairs  resumed  their  course,  and 
the  prospects  of  the  kingdom  were  bright  again.1 
A  census,  unwarranted  by  Israel's  supreme  King, 
brought  down  his  judgment  upon  his  vicar  and 
the  nation.  A  three-days'  pestilence  swept  many 
thousands  from  the  land,  and  only  when  David  in- 
terceded in  the  spirit  of  Moses,  and  of  One  higher 

'To  this  time  may  perhaps  be  referred  Psalm  cxliv.  If  not 
a  florilege,  it  is  certainly  reminiscent  of  Psalms  viii.,  xviii.,  and 
some  others.  It  admirably  suits  the  present  situation. 


THE   VALLET  1 97 

than  either,  that  the  punishment  might  fall  upon 
him  alone,  was  the  plague  stayed.  The  angel 
hovering  over  the  summit  of  Moriah,  with  his 
drawn  sword  extended  over  Zion  to  destroy  the 
dwellers  thereon,  sheathed  the  flaming  weapon, 
and  health  and  peace  came  once  again  upon  the 
land.1  At  this  point  in  the  narrative  the  books  of 
Samuel  close.  It  is  resumed  in  Kings  with  the 
conspiracy  of  Adonijah. 

There  was  probably  a  long  and  peaceful  inter- 
val. David  was  growing  old,  and  in  these  years 
of  matured  wisdom  was  gathering  up  the  fruits 
of  experience,  the  teachings  of  an  eventful  and 
stormy  life.  The  calm  sunlight  of  a  peaceful  even- 
ing was  now  shining  on  his  way,  and  enabled 
him  thoughtfully  to  review  the  long  vista  of  trou- 
bles that  had  beset  his  journey.  With  devout 
gratitude  he  acknowledges  God's  goodness  to 


12  Samuel  xviii.-xxiv.  The  incidents  narrated  in  chapter 
xxi.  are  out  of  their  chronological  place,  belonging  to  an  early 
time  in  the  reign  at  Jerusalem.  We  have  already  made  a  sim- 
ilar remark  about  chapter  xxii.,  containing  the  eighteenth 
Psalm.  Chapter  xxiii.,  from  the  eighth  verse  through,  is  also 
to  be  referred  to  an  earlier  date;  it  occurs  in  duplicate  in  i 
Chronicles  xi.,  in  immediate  connection  with  David's  accession 
to  the  throne  of  Israel.  One  who  would  read  consecutively 
the  history  of  David  from  the  time  of  his  flight,  should  omit 
these  three  chapters. 


198  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

him  as  he  passed  through  the  valley,  in  blotting 
out  his  transgressions,  in  restoring  his  health/ in 
delivering    him  from  the   dangers  of   conspiracy 
and  rebellion,  and  then  crowning  his  life  with  the 
present  peaceful  enjoyment  of  ripened  years,  a 
crown  more  precious  than  his  royal  diadem.     In 
the   deepening  twilight  we   can   almost   hear   his 
harp   and  voice  enumerating  these,  in  this  self- 
communing  Even-Song: 
Bless  the  LORD,  O  my  soul, 
And  all  that  is  within  me,  bless  his  holy  name. 
Bless  the  LORD,  O  my  soul, 
And  forget  not  all  his  benefits, 
Who  forgiveth  all  thine  iniquities, 
Who  healeth  all  thy  diseases, 
Who  redeemeth  thy  life  from  destruction, 
Who  crowneth  thee  with  loving-kindness  and  tender 
Who  satisfieth  thy  mouth  with  good  things,      [mercies, 
So  that  thy  youth  is  renewed  like  the  eagle's.1 

Especially  in  Psalm  xxxvii.  did  David  compress 
the  practical  wisdom  of  mature  reflection.  It  is 
purely  didactic,  giving  counsel,  good  at  all  times 
for  all  men  everywhere: 

Fret  not  thyself  because  of  evil-doers. 
This  is  the  keynote  of  instruction  from  a  sage  of 
the  highest  authority.     There  is  no  passion,  the 

'Psalm  ciii. 


THE   VALLET  1 99 

tone  is  calm  and  grave,  and  nothing  personal,  save 
where  he  enforces  his  authority  by  the  claim  of 
experience : 

I  have  been  young,  and  now  am  old. 
"It  is  the  teaching  of  the  early  dispensation, 
which  nowhere  stands  out  more  distinct,  more 
complete,  or  in  a  nobler  and  more  attractive  form." 
{Cook.)  It  declares  in  hortatory  phrase  that  the 
peace,  prosperity,  and  salvation  of  the  righteous 
are  certain,  and  find  a  complete  antithesis  in  the 
destiny  of  the  wicked. 

Depart  from  evil  and  do  good, 
And  dwell  for  evermore  ; 
For  the  Lord  loveth  judgment, 

And  forsaketh  not  his  saints. 
They  are  preserved  forever ; 
But  the  seed  of  the  wicked  shall  be  cut  off. 
Mark  the  perfect  man,  and  behold  the  upright, 
For  the  end  of  that  man  is  peace. 

That  'fthe  meek  shall  inherit  the  earth"  is  five 
times  asserted  in  this  psalm,  and  was  adopted  by 
our  Lord  in  the  third  Beatitude. 

We  can  only  mention  Psalm  Ixv.,  which  from 
its  serene  dignity  we  think  must  be  referred  to 
David's  old  age.  It  is  remarkable  for  its  strong 
realization  of  Jehovah's  presence  in  nature  and 
history,  and  in  the  noblest  poetical  vefn  celebrates 


200  JUDA  'S  JE  WBLS 

his  bounteous  harvests.  Psalm  cxlv.,  David's  no- 
ble "Psalm  of  Praise,"  which  has  given  title,  in 
the  Hebrew,  to  the  Psalter,  must  not  be  unnamed. 
It  certainly  belongs  to  a  late  period  of  his  life,  and 
by  some  is  esteemed  his  most  excellent  composi- 
tion. The  Jews  thought  so  highly  of  it  that  they 
were  accustomed  to  say  that  no  one  could  fail  of 
salvation  who  would  repeat  this  psalm  three  times 
daily. 

But  one  psalm  of  David's  old  age  we  cannot 
forbear  to  quote  at  length,  Psalm  cxxxix.  Aben 
Ezra  pronounces  it  "  the  crown  of  psalm  poetry." 
We  can  hardly  deem  this  extravagant  when  we  re- 
flect upon  the  depth  of  religious  feeling,  the  weight 
of  thought,  and  the  force  and  beauty  of  expression 
by  which  it  is  characterized.  Its  wonderful  spirit, 
originality,  and  majesty  show  that  the  author  must 
have  been  gifted  above  all  the  sons  of  men  with 
poetic  genius,  as  well  as  with  divinely  inspired  in- 
sight. We  approach  it  with  a  feeling  of  unusual 
awe.  Well  may  one  shrink  from  an  attempt  to  il- 
lustrate it,  since  the  great  genius  Herder,  at  once 
a  poet,  a  philosopher,  and  a  theologian,  has  said: 
"  Language  utterly  fails  me  in  the  exposition  of 
this  psalm.  Let  anyone  read  it  and  he  will  see 
that,  after  the  fullest  explanation  of  every  verse, 
and  of  the  purport  of  the  whole,  it  is  at  each  read- 


THE   VALLET  2OI 


ing  new,  each  word  suggestive  perpetually  of  new 
thoughts."1 

The  psalm  consists  of  four  clearly  marked  divi- 
sions, each  handling  a  different  topic ;  and  it  is  a 
nearer  approach  to  a  systematic  theology  than 
anything  elsewhere  found  in  the  Bible.  For  these 
divisions  treat  successively  of  God's  Omniscience, 
of  his  Omnipresence,  of  his  Omnipotence,  and  the 
last  part  exhibits  the  spirit  which  a  contemplation 
of  these  awful  attributes  should  inspire.  There  is, 
however,  a  great  difference  between  the  mode  of 
discussion  here  and  in  our  systematic  theologies. 
They  generally  proceed  abstractly,  in  a  philo- 
sophic spirit,  while  this  proceeds  concretely,  in  a 
practical  spirit;  they  divorce  themselves  from 
homiletics,  not  proposing  to  persuade,  while  this 
is  quite  in  the  homiletic  vein,  indirectly  making 
a  powerful  appeal  to  the  heart  and  conscience; 
they  are  quite  impersonal  in  their  disquisitions, 
while  this  is  intensely  personal  throughout.  Would 
it  not  be  well  if  some  of  our  theologies  were  re- 
modeled on  this  inspired  plan? 

The  concrete  and  personal  character  of  the 
psalm  are  worthy  of  particular  note.  There  is 
hardly  a  word  in  it  that  can  fairly  be  called  an  ab- 
stract term,  there  is  no  nebulosity,  no  rare  atmos- 

1  Vom  Geist  hebrdischer  Poesie. 


202  JUDA  VS  JE  WELS 

phere  hard  to  breathe  as  the  difficult  air  of  the 
iced  mountain  top.  This  is  in  accord  with  the 
genius  of  Hebrew  thought,  which  makes  the  par- 
ticular stand  for  the  general;  for  here  we  have 
the  loftiest  and  largest  conceptions  with  which  the 
human  mind  can  deal,  expressed  definitely  and 
fully  in  narrow  and  specific  terms.  This  does  not 
follow  because  the  treatment  is  poetical;  Aryan 
poetry,  both  Teutonic  and  Indian,  abounds  in  wide 
and  vague  abstractions.  It  is  rather  that  spirit  of 
the  thinker  which  ever  keeps  in  view  the  immedi- 
ate practical  application  of  the  matter  to  his  own 
person.  So  is  human  nature  that  such  handling, 
and  such  alone,  can  reach  the  heart.  He  that 
made  us  also  made  for  us  Christianity  and  Christ 
identical. 

Of  this  psalm  Perowne  says:  '* Nowhere  are 
the  great  attributes  of  God  set  forth  so  strikingly 
as  they  are  in  this  magnificent  ode.  Nowhere  is 
there  a  more  overwhelming  sense  of  the  fact  that 
man  is  beset  and  compassed  about  by  God,  per- 
vaded by  his  Spirit,  and  unable  to  take  a  step 
without  his  control;  and  yet  nowhere  is  there  a 
more  emphatic  assertion  of  the  personality  of  man 
as  distinct  from,  not  absorbed  in,  the  Deity.  This 
is  no  pantheistic  speculation.  Man  is  here  the 
workmanship  of  God,  and  stands  in  the  presence 


THE   VALLEY  203 

and  under  the  eye  of  Him  who  is  his  Judge.  The 
power  of  conscience,  the  sense  of  sin  and  respon- 
sibility, are  felt  and  acknowledged,  and  prayer  is 
offered  to  One  who  is  not  only  the  Judge,  but  the 
Friend;  One  who  is  feared  as  none  else  are 
feared;  One  who  is  loved  as  none  else  are  loved." 

i 
O  LORD,  thou  hast  searched  me,  and  known  me ; 

Thou  knowest  my  downsitting  and  mine  uprising, 
Thou  understandest  my  thought  from  afar, 
Thou  winnowest  my  path  and  my  bed, 
And  art  acquainted  with  all  my  ways. 

For  there  is  not  a  word  in  my  tongue, 
But,  lo,  O  LORD,  thou  knowest  it  altogether. 
Thou  hast  beset  me  behind  and  before, 
And  laid  thine  hand  upon  me. 

Knowledge  too  wonderful  for  me ! 
It  is  high,  I  cannot  attain  unto  it. 


NOTES. — Strofhe  i.  God's  Omniscience.  —  from  afar,  when 
on  high. 

Is  not  God  in  the  height  of  heaven? 

And  behold  the  height  of  the  stars,  how  high  they  are! 

And  thou  sayest:  What  doth  God  know? 

Can  he  judge  through  the  thick  darkness? 

Thick  clouds  are  a  covering  to  him,  that  he  seeth  not; 

And  he  walketh  in  the  circuit  of  heaven.    (Job  xxii.  12, 14.) 

—acquainted,  intimately.— For ;  the  argument  is  a  fortiori. 


204  JUDA  'S1  JB  WELS 

II 

Whither  shall  I  go  from  thy  spirit? 
Whither  shall  I  flee  from  thy  presence? 

If  I  ascend  up  into  heaven,  thou  art  there ; 

If  I  make  my  bed  in  Sheol,  lo,  thou  art  there. 

If  I  take  the  wings  of  the  morning, 

And  dwell  in  the  uttermost  part  of  the  sea; 

Even  there  shall  thy  hand  lead  me, 

And  thy  right  hand  shall  hold  me. 

If  I  say  :   Only  let  darkness  cover  me, 
And  the  light  about  me  shall  be  night ; 
Even  the  darkness  hideth  not  from  thee, 
But  the  night  shineth  as  the  day ; 
Darkness  is  as  light  to  thee. 


Strophe  2.  God's  Omnipresence. — Whither  shall  I  go,  not  in 
terror,  but  in  awe. — Sheol,  not  hell  (A.  V.),  but  the  underworld, 
Hades,  the  realm  of  disembodied  spirits. — take  the  wings,  and 
fly  as  quickly  as  the  light  of  dawn  flits  across  the  sky  to  the 
west. — and  dwell,  he  is  already  there. — sea,  beyond  the  hori- 
zon of  the  Mediterranean. — shall  hold  me,  I  cannot  escape. — - 
the  light;  this  line  is  more  accurate  and  more  poetical  than 
the  Authorized  Version,  which  in  this  second  line  conveys  the 
same  idea  that  is  found  in  the  fourth  line  of  the  stanza. 

Strophe  j.  God's  Omnipotence. — reins,  were  with  the  He- 
brews poetically  the  seat  of  emotions,  as  the  heart  with  us. — 
weave,  as  a  texture  or  fabric  of  interlacing  bones,  sinews, 
veins,  and  nerves. — fearfully  made.  Nothing  more  highly  dis- 
plays the  power  and  skill  of  the  Creator  than  the  human 
frame,  his  last  work;  and  no  man  can  rightly  contemplate  the 
mechanism  of  his  own  body  and  not  be  filled  with  awe. — in  se- 


THE   V ALLEY  205 

III 

For  thou,  thou  didst  form  my  reins, 
Thou  didst  weave  me  in  my  mother's  womb. 
I  will  praise  thee,  for  I  am  fearfully,  wonderfully  made  ; 
Marvelous  are  thy  works,  my  soul  knoweth  it  well. 

My  frame  was  not  hidden  from  thee, 

When  I  was  made  in  secret, 

Curiously  wrought  in  the  depths  of  the  earth. 
Thine  eyes  did  see  my  unformed  substance, 

And  in  thy  book  were  all  written, 

The  days  that  were  ordained  when  there  were  none. 

How  precious  unto  me  are  thy  thoughts,  O  God ! 
How  great  is  the  sum  of  them ! 

If  I  would  recount  them,  they  are  more  in  number  than 
I  awake,  and  I  am  still  with  thee.  [the  sand ; 


cret,  in  the  womb.  (Cf.  Ecclesiastes  xi.  5.) — curiously  wrought, 
as  an  embroidered  garment  diversified  with  colors.  —  the 
depths,  a  region  of  darkness  and  mystery,  thus  representing 
the  womb. — unformed  substance;  undeveloped  life,  not  jet 
unrolled.  The  figure  is  passing  over  to  the  skein  of  life,  in 
which  the  threads  that  are  to  form  the  web  of  human  exist- 
ence and  destiny  are  not  yet  unrolled.  (Hiipfeld.) — How  pre- 
cious ;  how  dear  to  me  are  thy  wondrous  thoughts  expressed 
in  these  miracles  of  creation,  how  great  their  sum !  I  recount 
them  all  the  day  long  until  sleep  overtakes  me;  I  sleep,  and 
awake,  and  am  still  with  thee,  still  recounting  the  endless  num- 
ber of  thy  thoughts,  of  thy  wonderful  designs  of  art,  wisdom, 
and  love.  Said  Kepler,  the  astronomer:  I  am  thinking  thy 
thoughts,  O  God,  after  thee. 


206  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

IV 

0  that  thou  wouldest  slay  the  wicked,  O  God ! 
Depart  from  me,  ye  men  of  blood, 

For  they  speak  against  thee  wickedly, 
Thine  enemies,  they  act  against  thee  vainly. 

Should  not  I  hate  thy  haters,  O  LORD? 
Should  not  I  abhor  thine  adversaries? 

1  hate  them  with  perfect  hatred, 
I  count  them  mine  enemies. 

Search  me,  O  God,  and  know  my  heart, 
Try  me,  and  know  my  thoughts, 
And  see  if  in  me  there  be  any  offending  way, 
And  lead  me  in  the  way  everlasting. 


Strophe  4.  Exhibits  the  spirit  which  such  contemplations 
properly  excite.  "  The  exquisite  meditations  upon  God's  at- 
tributes may  have  been  suggested  by  sharp  trial  caused  by  the 
enemies  of  God,  of  the  nature  of  which  no  hint  is  given,  but 
which  gave  tone  to  the  fourth  part."  (Dean  of  Wells.')  Some 
critics  deem  this  part  to  be  unworthy  of  the  rest  of  the  psalm, 
and  judge  it  to  have  been  added  by  another  hand.  But  Luther, 
Delitzsch,  et  al.,  feel  that  the  psalm  would  be  incomplete  with- 
out it,  and  that  it  tends  to  this  point  from  the  beginning. 
"  Hatred  and  abhorrence  of  impiety  is  the  inevitable  result  of 
that  intense  realization  of  God's  perfections  which  the  psalm 
discovers,  and  the  prayer  to  him  who  knows  the  heart  is  so  nat- 
ural and  appropriate  that  no  fitter  conclusion  could  be  imag- 
ined." (Dean  of  Wells.)  Chrysostom  remarks:  "  Now  a  higher 
philosophy  is  required  than  then;  for  they  are  ordered  to  hate 
not  only  impiety,  but  impious  persons,  lest  their  friendship 
should  be  an  occasion  to  them  of  going  astray."  Let  us  rather 


THE   VALLE?  207 

The  rendering  of  the  Authorized  Version  is  so 
inaccurate  that  we  have  ventured  to  present  a  re- 
vision, in  which  the  Revised  Version  and  various 
other  versions  have  given  assistance.  The  struc- 
ture is  simple  and  calls  for  no  remark.  Most  of 
the  German  commentators  question  the  Davidic 
authorship  on  account  of  certain  Aramaisms  in 
the  text;  but  the  English  commentators  generally 
hold  to  it. 

§  7.  Now  King  David  was  old  and  stricken  in 
years.  And  in  the  remnant  of  his  days  there  was 
for  him  yet  one  sore  trouble.  Adonijah,  the  eldest 
of  his  surviving  sons,  exalted  himself,  saying:  I 
will  be  king.  He  sought  to  accomplish  his  purpose 
much  as  Absalom  had  done,  and  only  at  the  last 
moment — indeed  not  until  the  people  were  already 
shouting:  God  save  King  Adonijah — was  his  pur- 
pose thwarted.  This  was  accomplished  through 
the  interference  of  Nathan  and  Queen  Bathshe- 
ba.  Solomon,  her  son,  was,  by  the  order  of  King 

remember  that  the  Hebrew  does  not  deal  in  abstractions.  A 
Greek  might  hate  wickedness,  but  a  Hebrew  hates  wicked 
men.  Hengstenberg  suggests:  "  The  psalmist  speaks  of  wicked 
men  as  such,  not  of  his  own  personal  enemies." — Search  me; 
an  harmonious  echo  of  strophe  i,  not  in  self-confidence,  but  in 
the  conviction  that  God  knows  his  heart  better  than  he  does 
himself,  and  with  the  earnest  desire  to  have  it  cleansed  of  se- 
cret faults,  secret  to  him,  but  known  to  God.  It  is  a  touching 
repetition  of  the  prayer  of  his  early  youth  closing  the  nine- 
teenth psalm,  his  Morning  Hymn, 


208  JUDA  'S1  JB  WELS 

David,  promptly  anointed  and  crowned,  and  the 
scheme  of  Adonijah  came  to  naught.1 

Then  the  days  of  David  drew  nigh  that  he  should 
die,  and  he  gave  a  dying  charge  to  Solomon  his 
son.  Probably,  after  it  was  delivered,  he  had  its 
substance  recorded  as  his  last  psalm.  This  psalm 
is  not  found  in  the  Psalter,  but  only  in  2  Samuel 
xxiii.,  which  is  not  its  chronological  place.  It 
should  be  carefully  compared  with  the  charge 
found  in  i  Kings  ii.  We  quote  it  because  of  the 
interest  attaching  to  it  as  the  dying  song  of  the 
greatest  of  poets,  and  for  its  intrinsic  excellence. 
The  rendering  of  the  Authorized  Version  being 
defective,  we  present  a  revised  version.  The 
scribe  introduces  it  with  a  stanza  of  his  own,  per- 
haps unconsciously  poetical,  inspired  by  the  fore 
cast  of  what  he  is  about  to  record : 

Now  these  be  the  last  words  of  David. 
Saith  David  the  son  of  Jesse, 
Saith  the  man  raised  up  on  high, 
The  anointed  of  the  God  of  Jacob, 
And  the  sweet  psalmist  of  Israel : 

1 1  Kings  i. 

NOTES. — There  are  many  obscurities  in  this  ode,  owing  to 
its  extreme  conciseness.  Our  somewhat  free  rendering  gives 
the  generally  accepted  meaning.  In  the  introductory  stanza, 
the  anointed  =the  Messiah.  Bunsen  renders  the  last  line  thus: 
"The darling  of  the  songs  of  Israel" — i.e.,  he  was  their  theme. 


THE  VALLET  2Op 

I 

The  spirit  of  the  LORD  spake  by  me, 
And  his  word  was  in  my  tongue. 
The  God  of  Israel  said, 
The  rock  of  Israel  spake  to  me : 

ii 

He  that  ruleth  over  men  must  be  just, 
Ruling  in  the  fear  of  God. 

And  he  shall  be  as  morning  light  when  the  sun  ariseth, 

A  morning  without  clouds  ; 
As  tender  grass  out  of  the  earth, 

From  sunshine  and  from  rain. 

in 

Is  not  my  house  so  with  God, 
That  he  hath  made  with  me  an  everlasting  covenant, 

Ordered  in  all  things  and  sure? 
For  all  my  salvation, 
And  all  my  desire, 

Will  he  not  cause  it  to  spring  up? 

Strophe  /.  Spirit;  it  was  the  breath  of  Jehovah  that  passed 
through  his  frame. — spake;  a  divine  outpouring  \%  the  sense  of 
the  Hebrew.  The  repetitions  in  this  strophe  are  very  effect- 
ive, suspending  progress,  and  thus  emphasizing  the  idea. 

Strophe  2.  The  oracle.  This  and  strophe  4  should  be  com- 
pared with  Psalm  i.,  which  is  so  closely  parallel  as  to  appear 
like  an  imitation.  The  first  line  is  sometimes  rendered,  "The 
Just  One  shall  rule  over  men,"  and  understood  as  prophetic  of 
Christ;  but  this  seems  forced.  The  general  thought  is  rather, 
"  the  ideal  of  a  just  reign,  whether  as  looking  back  upon  his 

14 


210         '  JUDA  '5  JE  WELS 

IV 

But  all  the  sons  of  Belial  shall  be  as  thorns  thrust  away  ; 
Because  they  cannot  be  taken  with  hands ; 
But  the  man  that  would  touch  them, 
Must  be  fenced  with  iron, 
And  the  staff  of  a  spear ; 
And  they  shall  be  utterly  burned  with  fire  in  its  place. 


own,  or  forward  to  that  of  Solomon."  (Stanley.}  The  second 
stanza  illustrates  the  prosperity  of  the  just  ruler,  his  brilliant 
glory,  and  its  delectable  fruit. 

Strophe  j.  An  assurance  of  prosperity  of  the  kingdom  of 
Solomon,  who  was  typical  of  David's  greater  Son. — everlasting 
covenant.  See  Isaiah  Iv.  3.  Cf.  also  Isaiah  xi.  i,  4: — 

There  shall  come  forth  a  shoot  out  of  the  stock  of  Jesse, 

And  a  branch  out  of  his  roots  shall  bear  fruit. 

With  righteousness  shall  he  judge  the  poor, 

And  reprove  with  equity  for  the  meek  of  the  earth. 

He  shall  smite  the  earth  with  the  rod  of  his  mouth, 

And  with  the  breath  of  his  lips  shall  he  slay  the  wicked. 

\ 
Strophe  4.  Contrasts  with  the  others  the  destruction  of  the 

wicked,  referring  primarily  to  Joab  and  Shimei.  (See  the 
"Charge,"  i  Kings  ii.) — thorns,  in  contrast  with  the  "tender 
grass"  of  royal  prosperity.  They  can  be  subdued  only  with 
long  pruning-hooks.  So  the  sons  of  Belial  must  be  "thrust 
away"  by  men  clad  in  iron  armor,  wielding  the  spear.  To  root 
out  and  burn  this  evil  growth  of  the  court  is  the  duty  of  a  just 
ruler,  as  much  as  the  fostering  of  the  good. — in  its  place  prob- 
ably means:  In  the  very  place  where  the  thorns  are,  there 
shall  they  be  burned.  The  structure  of  this  strophe  is  pecul- 
iar and  worthy  of  note.  The  first  and  last  lines  are  parallel. 


THE   VALLET  211 


This  is  a  melancholy  strain  to  close  a  song 
which  begins  so  full  of  brightness  and  joy.  But 
it  is  a  true  picture  of  the  checkered  life  of  David. 
Such  a  rugged,  four-faced  monument  is  a  fitting 
memorial  of  the  man  who  was  at  once  a  prophet 
and  a  king,  a  penitent  and  a  saint. 

The  words  of  David,  the  son  of  Jesse,  are  ended. 

Adieu!  thou  sweet  psalmist;  thou  royal  proph- 
et; thou  tempted,  tried,  stricken,  erring,  yet  in 
the  main,  true-hearted  servant  of  God.  We  shall 
know  thee  better  when  we  meet  above,  now  that 
we  have  traced  thy  heart-history  here. 

So  David  slept  with  his  fathers, 
And  was  buried  in  the  city  of  David. 


"  He  set  as  sets  the  morning  star, 
Which  goes  not  down  beyond  the  darkened  west, 
But  melts,  away  into  the  light  of  heaven." 


VI.— VERSES 

§i.  THE  general  subject  must  now  receive  more 
direct  consideration.  Quite  a  number  of  Hebrew 
lyrics  have  been  presented  and  discussed,  in  the 
hope  that  the  reader  should  have  his  heart  aglow 
with  love  and  admiration  before  entering  on  the 
cold  analytical  details  now  before  us.  Very  many 
points  have  necessarily  been  anticipated,  but  we 
shall  not  hesitate  to  repeat  these,  as  a  strictly  sys- 
tematic or  scientific  development  of  the  subject  is 
not  intended.  We  proceed  to  an  analysis  of  the 
structure  of  Hebrew  poetry,  and  to  point  out  those 
aesthetic  elements  which  entitle  it  to  rank  with  the 
best  classical  poetry,  and  the  distinctive  marks 
which  set  it  apart  and  give  it  a  place  all  its  own. 

Let  it  be  remembered  that  while  we  hold  this 
to  be  sacred  poetry,  and  the  poet  inspired  by  the 
Holy  Spirit  of  God ;  while  we  do  not  disregard  its 
teachings,  nor  fail  to  gaze  with  reverence  into  its 
spiritual  depths,  nor  neglect  to  welcome  its  blessed 
influences  on  our  hearts;  yet  our  present  purpose 
is  not  to  consider  these  points,  though  by  far  of 

highest  importance — an  importance  that  is  inesti- 
(212) 


VERSES  213 

mable.  But  we  propose  to  illustrate  features 
which,  though  of  vastly  less  value  and  interest,  are 
nevertheless  true  features,  and  have  an  importance 
of  their  own.  We  descend  to  the  low  plain  com- 
mon to  all  literatures,  and  view  Hebrew  poetry 
simply  as  poetry,  studying  its  forms  and  charac- 
ters, comparing  and  contrasting  it  with  others, 
and  making  acquaintance  with  its  peculiar  modes 
of  expression.  Although  this  poetry  be  inspired, 
yet  no  sound  theory  of  inspiration  will  ascribe  to 
the  Holy  Spirit  its  many  rhetorical  excellences; 
nor,  on  the  other  hand,  its  literary  imperfections, 
if  any  there  be.  The  writers  were  used  as  instru- 
ments, and  expressed  themselves  each  according 
to  his  own  genius,  without  help  or  hindrance  as 
to  form  and  manner.  Hence  on  this  ground  they 
stand  as  merely  human  authors,  and  it  is  admissi- 
ble to  descant,  in  these  respects,  upon  their  accom- 
plishments as  belonging  to  themselves,  and  to  in- 
stitute comparisons  between  Hebrew  and  heathen 
classic  literature.  The  only  advantage  that  may 
be  attributed  to  Hebrew  writers,  and  indeed  it 
is  a  great  one,  is  that  they  had  the  light  of  truth, 
and  hence  their  productions  attained  a  dignity  and 
power  surpassing  the  noblest  ideals  of  other  an- 
cient literatures. 

Sometimes  it  has  been  thought  that  to  speak  of 


214  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

Holy  Scripture  as  poetry  is  an  irreverent  dispar- 
agement of  it;  and  yet  the  simple  fact  is  that  more 
than  one-third  of  the  Bible  is  poetry.  The  mis- 
take arises  from  a  misconception  of  the  real  origin 
and  nature  of  poetry,  and  from  greatly  underrating 
the  power  of  its  influence. 

Poetry  is  not  an  invention  of  man.  The  psalm- 
ists and  prophets  did  not  take  herein  a  human 
contrivance  and  bend  it  to  their  service.  Rather 
they  took  a  noble  gift  of  God,  and  used  it  for  the 
noble  purposes  for  which  it  was  ordained.  His 
Maker  fashioned  man  for  poetic  utterance  that 
his  praises  might  burn  with  eloquence,  and  his 
prayers  rise  with  the  fragrance  of  incense.  But 
the  best  gifts  of  God  are  liable  to  the  worst  abuse ; 
and  from  its  abuse  has  arisen  the  notion,  under 
the  high  sanction  of  both  Plato  and  Aristotle,  that 
poetry  is  essentially  fictitious,  and  antagonistic  to 
truth.  Rather  is  it  the  festive,  Sabbath-day  robe 
of  truth,  a  veil  to  soften  her  awful  severity  and 
the  daz^ling  flash  of  her  eyes.  Poetry  is  the  per- 
fection of  expression,  and  the  noblest  vehicle  of 
thought.  "  Let  no  one,  then,"  says  Bishop  Lowth, 
"  speak  of  this  art  as  light  and  trifling  in  itself,  or 
regard  it  as  profane  and  impious;  this  art  which 
has  been  conceded  to  man  by  his  Creator,  and  for 
the  most  sacred  purposes ;  this  art  consecrated  by 


VERSES  215 

the  authority  of  God  himself,  and  by  his  example 
in  his  most  august  ministrations." 

The  influence  which  poetry,  even  when  not  ful- 
filling its  highest  offices,  exerts  on  the  human  race 
is  incalculable.  The  childhood  of  all  nations  has 
been  spent  in  singing.  The  richest  treasures  of 
every  literature  are  its  poems ;  and,  says  Fletcher, 
one  who  can  make  the  songs  of  a  people  need  not 
care  who  makes  the  laws.  Of  all  those  depart- 
ments of  thought  into  which  mind  has  expanded, 
we  may  doubt  whether  any  one  has  had  more  in- 
fluence in  determining  the  destinies  of  mankind 
than  that  which  embodies  the  creations  of  imagi- 
nation, and  gives  enduring  form  and  expression  to 
human  feeling.  Was  Raphael  wrong  when,  in  the 
chamber  of  sciences  of  the  Vatican,  he  gave  in  his 
frescoes  the  same  rank  to  poetry  as  to  philosophy, 
jurisprudence,  and  theology? 

But  while  making  this  high  claim  for  poetry 
in  general,  we  make  a  higher  special  claim  for 
sacred  poetry.  None  is  comparable  to  the  He- 
brew poetry  in  the  effects  it  has  wrought ;  and  the 
sway  of  the  Hebrew  bard  surpasses  the  sway  of 
all  others.  For  who  is  king  among  men?  Is  it 
not  he  that  rules?  On  the  Parnassus,  Raphael  as- 
signs to  Homer  the  highest  place.  Was  he  right? 
Yes,  if  Greek  poetry,  or  even  European  poetry,  be 


2 16  JUDA  VS  JE  WELS 

intended.  But  if  Raphael  would  represent  the 
poetry  of  the  world;  if  he  would  distinguish  its 
highest  seat,  and  that  poet  who  has  been  most  po- 
tent in  molding  the  hearts,  thoughts,  and  conduct 
of  men  through  a  hundred  generations,  he  should 
paint  Zion  higher  than  Parnassus,  and  the  sweet 
singer  of  Israel  seated  thereon ;  not  in  royal  robes, 
with  crown  and  scepter,  but  in  the  linen  ephod, 
and  with  a  harp  in  hand.  From  the  hour  when 
his  songs  exorcised  the  evil  spirit  in  Saul,  through- 
out his  wanderings  and  his  long  reign,  until  the 
words  of  the  son  of  Jesse  were  ended: 

"  They  softened  men  of  iron  mold, 

They  gave  them  virtues  not  their  own ; 
No  ear  so  dull,  no  heart  so  cold, 

That  felt  not,  fired  not  at  the  tone, 
Till  David's  lyre  grew  mightier  than  his  throne." 

His  visible  kingdom  did  not  long  survive  him,  but 
his  dominion  over  the  hearts  of  men  was  estab- 
lished forever. 

§2.  In  attempting  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the 
characteristics  of  true  poetry,  we  first  distinguish 
its  essence  from  its  form.  Of  the  essence  we  can 
say  very  little.  But  is  it  not  truth,  beauty,  and 
goodness — the  Platonic  triad — becoming  a  trinity? 


VERSES  217 

We  may  have  an  expression  of  truth  alone,  but 
this  is  not  poetry.  We  may  have  truth  and  good- 
ness combined,  but  yet  not  poetry.  We  may  have 
beauty  alone,  transcendent  beauty,  expressed  in 
perfect  poetical  form,  but,  specious  and  false,  this 
is  not  true  poetry.  Like  the  brilliant  glare  of  the 
aurora,  it  gives  no  warmth,  quickens  no  life.  But 
when  truth,  goodness,  and  beauty  unite,  is  not  this 
essentially  poetry,  whatever  be  the  form?  It  seems 
to  me  that  these  three  are  great  archangels  be- 
longing to  God's  throne,  but  sent  on  a  mission  to 
every  open  heart,  and  spreading  a  halo  of  heav- 
en's own  glory  all  around  our  way. 

The  form  of  poetry  is  more  palpable.  Yet  we 
cannot  fix  it.  It  is  protean.  If  we  were  to  grasp 
in  one  statement  all  the  forms  that  have  yet  ap- 
peared, the  next  original  poet  that  is  born,  if  there 
is  ever  to  be  another,  would  violate  our  rule,  and 
give  us  a  new  form.  We  propose  here  to  consider 
only  one  external  mark,  one  which  seems  to  at- 
tend beauty  wherever  it  appears,  whether  in  poetry 
or  other  arts,  or  in  nature.  The  somewhat  musty 
definition  of  beauty,  unity  amid  variety,  seems 
at  once  too  wide  and  too  narrow,  yet  it  involves 
the  mark  to  which  we  allude,  and  which  is  here 
emphasized,  since  it  is  especially  prominent  in  He- 
brew poetry.  Let  us  call  this  mark  Repetition. 


2 1 8  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

In  the  beautiful  objects  of  nature  we  find  a  con- 
stant repetition.  We  see  it  in  the  eyes  and  lips  of 
the  human  face,  in  the  petals  of  the  flower,  in  the 
stars  of  the  sky.  We  hear  it  in  the  trilling  song 
of  birds,  and  in  the  echo.  In  art  we  see  it  in  the 
columns  of  the  Parthenon,  the  statues  of  the 
Agora,  repeating  the  human  form,  and  in  the 
paintings  of  Stoa  Poecile,  repeating  memorable 
scenes.  In  music  there  is  frequent  repetition.  To 
each  of  Mozart's  model  melodies,  and  of  Beetho- 
ven's tone  poems,  there  is  a  theme,  of  perhaps  not 
more  than  one  or  two  measures,  which  is  worked 
out  with  numerous  variations  and  frequent  reap- 
pearances, and  which,  never  being  entirely  lost, 
preserves  that  unity  essential  to  a  true  work  of  art. 

In  modern  poetry  we  have  a  repetition  of  sound 
in  rhyme.  This  is  a  device  to  increase  the  poet- 
ical effect  by  a  purely  sensuous  impression.1  It  is 
not  found  in  classical  Latin,  but  appears  in  the 
later  Latin  of  the  mediaeval  hymns;  nor  does  it 
occur  in  classical  Greek,  except  traces  here  and 
there  in  comedy,  but  has  been  adopted  by  modern 
Greek  versifiers.  It  has  not  been  found  in  early 
Hebrew  poetry,  though  searched  for  with  great 
assiduity;  but  rhyme  and,  soon  after,  meter, 

'We  cite  especially  Souther's  Lodorc,  the  sole  merit  of 
which  consists  in  the  sensuous  effect  of  skillful  rhyming. 


VERSES  219 

makes  its  appearance  here  also,  first  in  the  sev- 
enth century,  in  some  poetical  attempts  of  rabbin- 
ical scholars.  The  lack  of  syllabic  accent  makes 
rhyme  necessary  in  French  poetry ;  in  other  mod- 
ern tongues  it  is  unnecessary,  and  marks  deca- 
dence of  poetical  taste  and  power.  We  hold  to 
what  Milton  says  in  his  preface  to  Paradise  Lost 
(ed.  1660):  "Rhime  is  no  necessary  adjunct  or 
true  ornament  of  poem  or  good  verse,  in  longer 
works  especially,  but  the  invention  of  a  barbarous 
age,  to  set  off  wretched  matter  and  lame  metre; 
graced  indeed  since  by  the  use  of  some  famous 
modern  poets,  carried  away  by  custom,  but  much 
to  their  own  vexation,  hindrance,  and  constraint 
to  express  many  things  otherwise,  and  for  the  most 
part  worse  than  else  they  would  have  expressed 
them.  Poets  of  prime  note  have  rejected  Rhime 
as  a  thing  of  itself,  to  all  judicious  ears,  trivial  and 
of  no  true  musical  delight;  which  consists  not  in 
the  jingling  sound  of  like  endings,  a  fault  avoided 
by  the  learned  ancients  both  in  poetry  and  all  good 
oratory." 

It  is  needless  to  detail  the  various  ways  in  which 
the  principle  of  repetition  gives  form  to  poetry.  It 
is  the  very  ground  of  all  meter,  whether  by  mod- 
ern accent  or  ancient  quantity.  It  is  the  very  es- 
sence of  all  rhythm,  even  of  that  obscure  rhythm 


220  JUDA  'S1  JE  WELS 

which  is  felt  rather  than  seen  in  graceful  prose; 
for,  as  Augustine,  in  De  Musica,  says,  *'  all  meter 
is  rhythm,  but  not  all  rhythm  is  meter."  The  del- 
icate and  pleasing  effect  of  the  refrain  is  due  to 
repetition.  Besides  these,  we  frequently  find  in 
good  poetry  the  effect  greatly  heightened,  though 
by  a  sensuous  rather  than  an  intellectual  appeal, 
through  the  repetition  of  words  and  phrases.1 

§3.  Before  showing  that  this  principle  of  repeti- 
tion is  the  prominent  characteristic  of  Hebrew  po- 
etry, we  must  refer  to  the  investigations  of  eminent 
scholars  into  this  matter.  The  influence  of  Euro- 
pean classical  literature  has  led  Hebraists  to  search 
thoroughly  the  Hebrew  poetry  to  ascertain  the 
quantity  of  its  syllables  and  its  metrical  laws,  and 
not  until  of  late  have  they  abandoned  the  convic- 
tion that  there  must  be  some  poetic  system  corre- 
sponding to  the  Greek  and  Latin  prosody.  Jose- 
phus  roundly  asserts  that  the  Song  of  Moses  is  in 
hexameters.  Philo  Judaeus,  in  his  life  of  Moses, 
gravely  states  that  he  was  the  inventor  "  of  num- 
bers and  geometry,  the  theory  of  rhythm,  har- 

'We  cite  as  familiar  examples,  Tennyson's  Charge  of  the 
Light  Brigade,  and  Milton's  Address  of  Eve  (Paradise  Lost, 
iv.  634-658),  one  of  the  most  tender  and  exquisite  passages  of 
the  great  epic. 


VERSES  221 

mony,  and  meter,  and  the  whole  science  of  music, 
practical  and  theoretical."  Both  these  writers  of 
the  first  century  endeavored  to  show  that  the 
Greeks  had  been  anticipated  by  the  Hebrews  in 
literature  and  philosophy.  Eusebius  in  the  fourth 
century  said  that  the  Song  of  Moses  and  Psalm 
cxix.  were  in  heroic  measure,  and  that  other  vers- 
es were  trimeters ;  this  was  denied  by  Julian  the 
Apostate.  Jerome  of  the  fifth  century  compares 
the  psalms  to  the  odes  of  Horace,  Pindar,  Alceus, 
and  Sappho,  their  meters  now  running  in  iambics, 
now  ringing  with  alcaics,  now  swelling  with  Sap- 
phics. Gregory  of  Nyssa,  of  the  fourth  century, 
expressly  denied  that  the  Hebrew  poems  were 
composed  in  classical  meter;  but  the  great  philol- 
ogist and  universal  scholar,  Joseph  Scaliger,  of  the 
sixteenth  century,  first  explicitly  denounced  the 
error,  and  declared  that  Hebrew  poetry  was  not 
bound  by  any  known  metrical  laws ;  yet  even  he 
found  traces  of  rhythm  which  he  compared  to  the 
classical. 

Many  scholars  have  maintained  that  the  Hebrew 
poetry  has  an  independent  metrical  system  of  its 
own,  and  have  expended  great  labor  and  exhib 
ited  great  ingenuity  in  attempting  to  discover  it, 
but  without  agreed  result;  among  others,  Goma- 
rus  Anton,  Bishop  Hare,  and  Sir  William  Jones, 


222  JUDA  VS  JB  WELS 

the  great  orientalist.  The  latter,  in  his  Poesos 
Asiatics,  attempted  to  apply  the  rules  of  Arabic 
meter  to  the  Hebrew.  Merx  finds  in  the  Book  of 
Job  a  regular  syllabic  and  strophic  structure,  eight 
syllables  in  each  stich,  and  an  equal  number  of 
stichs  in  each  strophe ;  but  he  is  obliged  to  resort 
to  arbitrary  conjectures  of  lacunas  and  interpola- 
tions of  the  masoretic  text.  Another  class  of  schol- 
ars, while  affirming  the  existence  of  a  metrical 
system,  abandon  all  hope  of  recovering  it;  among 
these  are  Lowth,  Jahn,  Buxtorf,  Bauer,  and  to 
some  extent,  Herder  and  also  Dr.  Wright.  Ewald 
discusses  the  matter  at  great  length  and  learnedly, 
but  his  views  have  not  been  generally  accepted. 
Sommer  claims  to  have  found  intentional  rhyme  in 
many  places,  but  Ewald  ascribes  such  appearances 
to  mere  accident.  Scholars  of  to-day  very  gener- 
ally disbelieve  the  existence  of  any  metric  system, 
of  any  prosody  corresponding  in  any  sense  to  that 
of  classical  and  modern  languages,  and  this  nega- 
tive result,  so  slowly  and  laboriously  reached,  is 
now  hardly  questionable. 

Robert  Lowth,  professor  of  poetry  at  Oxford, 
and  afterwards  Bishop  of  London  (died  1787), 
published  in  1753  his  De  Sacri  Poesi  Hebrceorum, 
Proelectiones  Academics.  This  publication  marks 
an  era  in  the  literature  of  the  subject.  It  was  ed- 


VERSES  223 

»  

ited,  with  learned  annotations,  by  J.  D.  Michaelis, 
professor  in  Gottingen,  and  has  been  translated 
and  republished  in  numerous  editions.  Bishop 
Jebb,  of  Limerick,  followed  the  views  of  Lowth, 
and  enlarged  upon  them  in  his  Sacra  Literaria^ 
and  the  substantial  correctness  of  Lowth's  princi- 
ple has  been  generally  admitted  by  scholars,  both 
English  and  continental.  Other  classifications, 
based  on  the  same  principle,  have  been  proposed, 
one  especially  acute  and  scientific  by  De  Wette, 
one  by  Ewald,  and  others,  but  none  have  been  so 
generally  adopted. 

Before  stating  the  positive  results  of  Lowth' s 
analysis,  we  must  observe  that  he  had  been  antici- 
pated. A  number  of  Rabbis  had  asserted  that  in 
Hebrew  poetry  there  is  only  a  rhythm  of  senten- 
ces, and  not  of  syllables,  and  that  the  rhythmical 
quantity  is  originally  and  essentially  determined  by 
the  content;  partly  by  the  repetition  of  the  same 
thought  in  similar  or  allied  expression,  and  partly 
by  the  prominence  which  is  imparted  to  it  by 
antithetic  or  synthetic  terms  of  expression.  This, 
as  will  be  seen,  is  substantially  Lowth's  analysis. 
Rabbi  Azariah  de  Rossi  states  it  with  great  clear- 
ness. The  anticipation  was  yet  more  complete  by 
Schottingen  in  his  Hora  Hebraicoe.  With  none 
of  these,  however,  does  Lowth  seem  to  have  been 


2  24  JUDA  '5  JE  WELS 

acquainted,  and  the  system  is  generally  attributed 
to  him.1 

§  4.  The  basis  of  this  system  is  Parallelism.  This 
is  the  name  adopted  for  the  correspondence  of 
one  line,  or  stich,2  with  another — word  answer- 
ing to  word,  or  phrase  to  phrase,  or  thought  to 
thought,  or  the  construction  of  one  line  to  the 
construction  .of  another.  This  may  be  more  fully 
stated,  adopting  Lowth's  phraseology,  thus :  Lines 
parallel  are  characterized  by  a  relation  and  propor- 
tion which  arise  from  a  correspondence  of  terms, 
and  from  a  singular  syntatic  construction.  From 
this  arises  a  rhythmus  of  propositions,  an  harmoni- 
ous cadence  of  sentences,  so  that  generally  peri- 
ods coincide  with  stanzas,  members  of  periods 
with  lines,  and  the  pauses  in  one  line  with  those  in 
the  other,  the  words  and  phrases  answering  to  one 
another.  Frequently,  however,  the  forms  of  ex- 
pression are  insufficiently  balanced  to  enable  us 
by  them  to  determine  the  parallels.  We  are  then 
driven  wholly  to  the  thought,  to  the  sentiment  con- 
veyed, and  may  often  by  it  alone  trace  that  dupli- 

*It  has  been,  after  Jebb,  more  fully  developed  by  Herder, 
Gesenius,  De  Wette,  KOster,  Ewald,  and  Hupfeld. 

3 The  word  -verse  would  be  a  correct  and  a  better  term  but 
for  its  common  loose  usage,  especially  in  reference  to  the  sub- 
divisions of  the  biblical  text. 


VERSES  22$ 

cation  which  characterizes  the  parallelism.  Thus 
the  parallelism  is  oftentimes  so  evident  as  to  strike 
the  most  careless  reader,  but  sometimes  so  subtile 
and  obscure  as  to  require  considerable  practice 
and  familiarity  with  the  system  to  develop  the  dif- 
ferent members  in  their  probable  order  and  con- 
nection. The  relation  of  lines,  thus  described  by 
Lowth,  is  happily  defined  by  Aben  Ezra:  Duptica- 
tio  sententia,  verbis  variatis.  We  present  at  once 
some  examples  of  the  obvious  sort: 

The  heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God, 

The  firmament         sheweth  his  handiwork ; 

Day  unto  day  uttereth  speech, 

Night  unto  night      sheweth          knowledge. 

(Psalm  xix.  I,  2.) 

Hear  the  word  of  the  Lord,    ye  rulers     of  Sodom ; 

Give  ear  unto  the  law     of  our  God,     ye  people    of  Gomorrah. 

(Isaiah  i.  10.) 

One  is  conscious  on  reading  the  simplest  passage 
of  this  sort  that  it  is  not  prose.  The  unusual 
animation  of  the  style  arouses  attention.  There 
is  no  life  without  movement,  and  the  movement 
characteristic  of  life  is  pulsation.  In  this  throb- 
bing of  thought  is  plainly  manifest  the  principle  of 
repetition  on  which  we  have  laid  stress.  Parallel- 
ism is  repetition.  It  is  so  especially  prominent  in 
all  Hebrew  poetry  as  to  constitute  its  chief,  almost 
15 


226  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

its  sole  characteristic,  becoming  specific  by  virtue 
of  its  persistent  prominence. 

This  mode  of  poetical  expression  in  parallel, 
duplicate,  balanced  sentiments  seems  entirely  nat- 
ural, as  natural  as  the  heaving  and  sinking  of  an 
agitated  heart,  as  the  breathing  the  air  of  heaven. 
We  find  a  tendency  to  it  in  prose  whenever  style 
becomes  animated  and  elevated.  Passion  tends  to 
express  itself  lyrically,  and  in  the  Old  Testament 
especially  the  style  oftentimes  rises  with  the  feel- 
ing from  plain  prose  by  imperceptible  degrees  into 
one  highly  poetical,  involving  parallelisms. 

That  this  form  of  poetry  is  entirely  natural  is  ev- 
idenced by  the  fact  that  it  is  the  earliest  of  all.  In 
confirmation  of  this,  and  also  because  it  exhibits  in 
great  perfection  the  principle  of  parallelism,  we 
will  present  the  most  ancient  poem  extant,  coming 
to  us  from  the  antediluvian  age.  It  is  the  brief 
lyric  of  Lamech,  a  descendant  of  Cain,  the  father 
of  Jubal  the  inventor  of  musical  instruments,  the 
prototype  of  Apollo  and  Orpheus,  and  also  the 
father  of  Tubal  Cain  the  smith,  the  prototype  of 
Vulcan  the  armorer.  This  song  of  the  wild  old 
chief,  addressed  to  his  wives,  is  found  in  Genesis 
iv.  23,  24.  Its  obscure  and  enigmatical  character 
is  admitted  as  a  mark  of  remote  antiquity,  and  it 
has  exercised  the  skill  of  translators  and  interpret- 


VERSES  227 

ers  of  all  times.  Herder  pronounces  it  "  a  sword 
song" — /'.  e.,  a  song  of  triumph;  Lamech  rejoic- 
ing and  confidently  boasting  in  the  enlarged  power 
he  now  has  by  virtue  of  the  new  weapon,  fabri- 
cated by  his  son  and  placed  in  his  hands.  We 
give  the  following  version : 

And  Lamech  said  unto  his  wives : 
Adah  and  Zillah,  hear  my  voice, 
Ye  wives  of  Lamech,  give  ear  to  my  speech ; 
For  I  slay  a  man  if  he  woundeth  me, 
Even  a  young  man  if  he  hurteth  me. 
Lo !   Cain  would  be  avenged  seven-fold, 
But  Lame.ch,  seventy  and  seven-fold. 

The  second  distich  would  be  more  literally  ren- 
dered by  the  past  tense,  "  For  I  have  slain  a  man 
who  wounded  me,"  etc.;  and  this  is  explained  as 
being  the  most  arrogant  form  of  boasting,  in  which, 
like  the  sure  word  of  prophecy,  the  future  is  rep- 
resented as  having  all  the  certainty  of  the  past. 
Herder's  interpretation  of  it  as  a  sword  song  is 
preferred  to  the  view  that  it  is  a  lament  for  some 
deed  of  violence  which  Lamech  had  committed; 
to  which  view,  however,  the  perfect  tense  gives 
weight.  In  reference  to  its  naturalness  and  pas- 
sionate earnestness,  Ewald  calls  the  song,  "A 
daughter  of  the  moment,  of  swift-rising,  powerful 
feelings,  of  deep  stirrings  and  fiery  emotions  of 


228  JUDA  '61  JE  WBLS 

the  heart."     We  call  attention  to  the  perfection  of 
the  parallelisms. 

The  natural  tendency  of  warm  feeling  to  run 
into  parallel  expressions  is  exhibited  in  many 
places  in  the  Greek  of  the  New  Testament,  which, 
outside  of  the  first  two  chapters  of  Luke,  contains 
no  intentional  poetry  except  quotations.  The  Be- 
atitudes (Matthew  v.  3-12)  are  strictly  parallel, 
and  remind  us  forcibly  of  the  first  psalm  and  of 
Psalm  xix.  7-9.  Other  parts  of  the  Sermon  on 
the  Mount  exhibit  the  same  form,  particularly  the 
close,  which  is  presented  by  Bishop  Jebb  thus: 

Whosoever  heareth  my  words  and  doeth  them, 
I  will  liken  him  to  a  prudent  man, 
Who  built  his  house  upon  the  rock : 

And  the  rain  descended, 

And  the  floods  came, 

And  the  winds  blew, 

And  fell  upon  that  house  ; 
And  it  fell  not ;  for  it  was  founded  upon  the  rock. 

And  every  one  hearing  my  words,  and  doing  them  not, 
Shall  be  likened  to  a  foolish  man, 
Who  built  his  house  upon  the  sand : 

And  the  rain  descended, 

And  the  floods  came, 

And  the  winds  blew, 

And  struck  upon  that  house ; 
And  it  fell ;  and  the  fall  thereof  was  great. 


VERSES  229 

In  the  following  instance,  from  Matthew  viii.  20, 
observe  the  swell  in  sentiment: 

The  foxes  have  holes, 

The  birds  of  the  air  have  nests, 

But  the  Son  of  man  hath  not  where  to  lay  his  head. 

In  this  next,  from  John  xv.  10,  the  lines  are  alter- 
nately parallel: 

If  ye  keep  my  commandments, 

Ye  shall  abide  in  my  love ; 
Even  as  I  have  kept  my  Father's  commandments, 

And  abide  in  his  love. 

This  final  example,  from  2  Timothy  ii.  n,  is  more 
complex : 

For  if  we  died  with  him, 

We  shall  also  live  with  him ; 
If  we  endure,  we  shall  also  reign  with  him. 

If  we  shall  deny  him, 

He  also  will  deny  us ; 
If  we  are  faithless,  he  remains  faithful ; 

For  he  cannot  deny  himself. 

Here  is  Hebrew  poetry,  flowing  unconsciously 
from  the  Hebrew  mind,  though  thinking  and  ex- 
pressing itself  in  the  Greek  language. 

§5.  The  naturalness  of  parallel  expression  is 
further  shown  by  the  fact  that  it  is  found  in  oth- 
er ancient  poetic  literature  besides  the  Semitic. 


230  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

From  Lefevre  we  obtain  a  few  lines  of  an  ancient 
Egyptian  hymn,  which,  literally  rendered  into 
English,  is  as  follows: 

God  prefers  purity  to  millions  of  riches, 

And  to  hundreds  of  thousands  of  gold ; 

He  feeds  on  truth  which  satisfies  him, 

His  heart  watches  over  sin. 

The  Hymn  to  the  Nile,  dating  from  the  Ramesian 
period,  is  also  characterized  by  frequent  parallel- 
isms. The  following  are  the  closing  lines: 

Shine  forth,  shine,  O  Nile,  shine  forth, 
Giving  life  to  men  by  his  oxen, 
Giving  life  to  his  oxen  by  the  pastures ; 

Shine  forth  in  glory,  O  Nile.1 

We  find  them,  too,  in  the  ancient  Aryan  tongues. 
The  following  is  from  Buddha's  Drammapada,  or, 
Path  of  Virtue,  translated  by  Max  Miiller,  which 
was  incorporated  into  the  Buddhist  canon  about 
2463.0.,  but  has  undoubtedly  a  much  earlier  origin : 

Let  us  live  happily  then,  not  hating  those  that  hate  us, 
Let  us  dwell  free  from  hatred  among  those  that  hate. 
Let  us  live  happily  then,  free  from  sin  among  the  sinning, 
Let  us  dwell  free  from  sin  among  men  who  sin. 
Let  us  live  happily  then,  though  we  call  nothing  our  own, 
We  shall  be  like  the  bright  gods,  feeding  on  happiness. 


'See  Birch's  Records  of  the  Past,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  114. 


VERSES  231 

There  is  no  fire  like  passion, 

There  is  no  unlucky  die  like  hatred ; 
There  is  no  pain  like  the  body, 

There  is  no  happiness  like  rest. 
Health  is  the  greatest  of  gifts, 

Contentedness  the  best  riches ; 
Trust  is  the  best  of  relatives, 

Nirvana  the  highest  happiness. 

I  open  my  Vergil,  which  comes  first  to  hand,  and 

find: 

Quern  sequimur?  quove  ire  jubes?  ubi  ponere  sedes? 

Da,  Pater,  augurium,  atque  animis  inlabere  nostris ! 

(^**t</,iii.  88.) 

Nam  quid  dissimulo  aut  quae  me  ad  majora  reserve? 
Num  fletu  ingemuit  nostro?  num  lumina  flexit? 
Num  lacrymas  victus  dedit,  aut  miseratus  amantem  est  ? 

(^Eneid,\\.  368.) 

Examples  in  classical  literature  are  not,  however, 
frequent,  but  are  to  be  looked  for  in  passages  ex- 
pressing warm  passion. 

In  modern  poetry  parallelism  is  quite  common, 
although,  of  course,  not  intentional.  The  melan- 
choly Jaques — 

Found  tongues  in  trees, 
Books  in  the  running  brooks, 
Sermons  in  stones, 
And  good  in  everything. 


232  JUDA  >S  JE  WELS 

Byron,  describing  the   destruction  of   Sennache- 
rib's army,  says: 

Like  the  leaves  of  the  forest  when  summer  is  green, 
That  host  with  their  banners  at  sunset  were  seen ; 
Like  the  leaves  of  the  forest  when  autumn  hath  blown, 
That  host  on  the  morrow  lay  wither'd  and  strown. 

Mrs.  Browning,  in  the  Cry  of  the  Children,  has 
this  stanza: 

The  old  tree  is  leafless  in  the  forest, 
The  old  year  is  ending  in  the  frost, 

The  old  wound,  if  stricken,  is  the  sorest, 
The  old  hope  is  hardest  to  be  lost. 

From  Keble's  Christian   Year,  Sunday  after  As- 
cension, we  take: 

Largely  thou  givest,  gracious  Lord, 
Largely  thy  gifts  should  be  restored, 
Truly  thou  givest,  and  thy  word 

Is :  Freely  give. 
He  only  who  forgets  to  hoard, 

Has  learned  to  live. 

Schiller's  Mary  Stuart  says,  in  her  indignation: 

Fahr'  bin  lammherzige  Gelassenheit ! 
Zum  himmel  fliehe,  leidende  Geduld ! 


VERSES  233 

Goethe's  Faust  hears  the  choir  of  Easter  angels 
singing : 

Thatig  ihn  preisenden, 

Liebe  beweisenden, 

Briiderlich  speisenden, 

Predigend  reisenden, 

Wonne  verheissenden, 

Euch  ist  der  Meister  nah, 

Euch  ist  er  da ! 

§  6.  In  an  analysis  of  Parallelism  as  the  funda- 
mental form  of  Hebrew  poetry,  the  first  requisite  is 
to  determine  what  constitutes  a  line.  Proceeding 
from  this  we  may  be  able  to  restore  and  exhibit  to 
the  eye  that  artistic  structure  so  important  to  the 
full  understanding  of  a  poem,  and  to  its  impression 
on  us.  We  cannot  rely  on  the  masoretic  division 
generally  followed  in  the  verses  of  the  Author- 
ized Version,  for  in  many  cases  it  is  clearly  in- 
correct. The  Masorites  used  in  the  poetical  books 
a  peculiar  system  of  accentuation,  indicating  both 
the  divisions  of  stichs  and  of  strophes.  It  is  older 
than  the  vowel  pointings,  but  rests  merely  on  the 
tradition  of  the  synagogue ;  and  that  it  is  unrelia- 
ble is  shown  by  the  fact  that  they  almost  always 
apply  this  poetic  accentuation  to  those  prose  pas- 
sages which  occasionally  occur  in  the  poetic  sec- 


234  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

tions.  Nor  do  the  ancient  Hebrew  manuscripts 
furnish  any  ground  by  their  arrangement  of  lines 
for  determining  the  poetic  line.  They  usually 
break  the  lines  quite  arbitrarily  without  regard  to 
sense  or  rhythm.  Primary  recourse  must  be  had 
to  the  alphabetic  Psalms  cxi.  and  cxii.,  in  which 
the  initial  letters  of  the  lines  taken  in  order  form 
the  Hebrew  alphabet,  thus  definitely  fixing  the 
lines  according  to  the  intent  of  the  writer.  In 
these  psalms  the  stichs  are  quite  short  and  nearly 
equal  in  length,  consisting  mostly  of  three  Hebrew 
words  each.  We  then  turn  to  Psalms  xxv.,  xxxiv., 
and  cxlv.,  wherein  the  initial  letters  of  the  distichs 
are  those  of  the  alphabet.  Here  we  can  study  not 
only  what  constitutes  a  line,  but  also  what  consti- 
tutes the  parallelism  of  two  lines.  We  find,  in  gen- 
eral, a  correspondence  in  length  between  lines 
parallel,  which  lines,  however,  sometimes  extend 
to  eight  or  ten  syllables.  But  in  looking  beyond 
these  psalms  we  find  the  exceptions  so  numerous 
that  we  cannot  ground  a  rule  on  these  facts;  for 
the  second  line  often  swells  with  the  sentiment  to 
much  greater  length  than  its  parallel,  and  on  the 
other  hand  it  sometimes  contracts  to  a  condensed 
expression,  apparently  for  the  sake  of  emphasis. 
But  we  find  that  a  line  generally  contains  a  com- 
plete sentence  or  a  clause,  so  that  the  pause  in  the 


VERSES  235 

progress  of  thought  fixes  the  point  at  which  the 
line  must  end.  This  is  our  safest  guide. 

In  endeavoring  to  form  a  conception  of  a  line 
sufficiently  clear,  we  need  to  observe  that  lines 
are  often  bi-membral,  and  the  subordinate  parts 
parallel  to  each  other.  This  is  manifest  in  the  fol- 
lowing line,  which  indeed  may  be  taken  as  em- 
bodying in  itself  the  whole  principle  of  Hebrew 
poetry : 

Hear,  O  heavens,  and  give  ear,  O  earth.     (Isaiah  i.  2.) 

In  the  following  the  lines  are  bi-membral,  but 
without  parallelism  between  the  hemistichs  of  the 
same  line: 

God  is  in  the  midst  of  her,  she  shall  not  be  moved ; 
God  shall  help  her,  and  that  right  early. 
The  heathen  raged,  the  kingdoms  were  moved ; 
He  uttered  his  voice,  the  earth  melted. 

(Psalm  xlvi.  5,  6.) 

The  pause  occurring  in  the  midst  may  be  com- 
pared to  the  cagsura.  Thereby  is  added  to  the 
style  the  arsis  and  thesis,  the  rise  and  fall,  the 
flow  and  ebb,  so  effective  in  classic  verse.  When 
these  hemistichs  are  long  clauses,  it  is  often  hard 
to  say  why  each  should  not  be  regarded  as  a  com- 
plete line,  producing  a  quatrain — /.  £.,  a  stanza  of 


236  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

four  lines  alternately  parallel.  For  example,  the 
last  distich  above  may  be  thrown  into  this  form  : 

The  heathen  raged, 

The  kingdoms  were  moved : 
He  uttered  his  voice, 

The  earth  melted. 

We  have  no  rule  by  which  to  decide  such  cases; 
but  generally  when  the  length  of  the  subordinate 
members  does  not  determine  a  case,  we  may  be 
guided  by  the  structure  of  the  context.  Since  the 
lines  often  cannot  be  satisfactorily  thus  arranged, 
the  fact  of  frequent  bi-membral  structure  of  lines 
remains,  and  in  rare  cases  we  find  them  tri-mem- 
bral. 

§  7.  From  the  study  of  the  line,  we  may  pro- 
ceed to  the  parallelism  more  specifically.  Various 
classifications  have  been  proposed ;  but  that  gener- 
ally adopted  is  substantially  Lowth's.  Though  not 
rigidly  scientific,  it  is  perhaps  as  nearly  so  as  the 
nature  of  the  subject  admits,  and  sufficiently  so 
for  all  practical  purposes.  We  will  now  distin- 
guish and  illustrate  three  species. 

I.  Synonymous  Parallelism.1    Parallel  lines  that 

1  Bishop  Jebb  objects  to  the  term  Synonymous,  and  sug- 
gests the  term  Cognate  as  more  accurately  describing  this  spe- 
cies of  parallelism.  Gradational  Parallelism  has  also  been  sug- 


V EASES  237 

are  synonymous  correspond  to  each  other  by  ex- 
pressing a  similar  sense  in  different  but  equivalent 
terms — e.  g.: 

What  is  man  that  them  art  mindful  of  him? 
Or  the  son  of  man  that  thou  visitest  him? 

(Psalm  viii.  4.) 

This  might  be  taken  as  a  kind  of  extended  hendi- 
adys,  were  it  not  that,  as  Bishop  Jebb  observes, 
'*  the  second  line  very  often  diversifies  the  pre- 
ceding one,  and  generally  so  as  to  rise  above  it, 
forming  a  sort  of  climax  in  the  sense."  Lowth 
observes  this  in  his  fourth  Prelection  where  he 
says:  "fdem,  iterant,  variant,  augent;"  thus 
marking  the  cumulative  force,  the  swell  in  sense, 
which  so  commonly  attends  this  species  of  par- 
allelism. The  following  examples  illustrate  this 
characteristic  increase  of  intensity : 

Purge  me  with  hyssop,  and  I  shall  be  clean ; 
Wash  me,  and  I  shall  be  whiter  than  snow. 

(Psalm  li.  7.) 

gested  as  a  preferable  phrase,  having  reference  to  the  usual 
swell  in  sense.  Each  of  these  happily  expresses  the  character 
in  question,  but  if  we  take  Lowth's  term  Synonymous  in  its 
wide  sense,  it  answers  well  enough.  To  the  term  Gradational 
we  object  that  the  swell  only  frequently,  not  always,  occurs; 
and  besides,  we  need  to  reserve  this  term  to  designate  the  pe- 
culiar structure  found  in  the  Songs  of  Degrees. 


238  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

And  the  Gentiles  shall  come  to  thy  light, 
And  kings  to  the  brightness  of  thy  rising. 

(Isaiah  Ix.  3.) 

There  is  hardly  a  page  of  the  poetical  books  that 
does  not  furnish  numerous  examples,  for  the  great 
majority  of  parallel  distichs  are  to  be  referred  to 
this  class,  and  hence  others  need  not  be  gathered 
here. 

If  thus  much  were  all,  we  might  expect  monot- 
ony. But  from  this  fault  Hebrew  poetry  is  es- 
pecially free.  It  is  avoided  by  the  elasticity  of 
the  principle  admitting  many  variations.  By  way 
of  illustration,  we  note  some  of  these. 

First,  the  cumulative  force  of  the  second  line 
may  be  accomplished  by  an  added  clause — e.  g. : 

The  wilderness  and  the  solitary  place  shall  be  glad ; 
And  the  desert  shall  rejoice,  and  blossom  as  the  rose. 

(Isaiah  xxxv.  I.) 

The  parallelism  here  would  be  complete  without 
the  last  clause,  which,  however,  adds  much  beauty, 
as  well  as  increase  of  thought.  We  may  also  ob- 
serve that  "The  wilderness  and  the  solitary  place  " 
are  condensed  into  the  parallel  "  desert,"  as  if  to 
make  rhythmical  room  for  the  added  clause. 

A  second  variation  is  the  omission  of  a  phrase 
answering  to  one  part  of  the  first  stich — e.  g. : 


239 


When  I  behold  thy  heavens,  the  work  of  thy  fingers, 
-  -----  —  the  moon  and  the  stars,  which  thou 

[hast  ordained. 

(Psalm  viii.  3.) 

Make  us  glad  according  to  the  days  wherein  thou  hast 

[afflicted  us, 
---   -   -   -  and  the  years  wherein  we  have  seen  evil. 

(Psalm  xc.  15.) 

The  glory  of  Lebanon  shall  be  given  to  it, 
The  excellency  of  Carmel  and  Sharon. 

(Isaiah  xxxv.  2.) 

A  third  variation   is  the  exact  repetition  of  a 
phrase,  a  sort  of  anadiplosis  —  e.  g.: 

It  is  better  to  trust  in  the  Lord  than  to  put  confidence 

[in  man, 

It  is  better  to  trust  in  the  Lord  than  to  put  confidence 

[in  princes. 
(Psalm  ex  viii.  8,  9.) 

This  Psalm  cxviii.,  written  probably  for  the  feast 
of  Purim,  and  having  a  Messianic  application,  is 
remarkable  for  numerous  cases  of  such  repeti- 
tions, highly  expressive  of  rapturous  joy.  The 
example  cited  is  an  extreme  case,  but  minor  exact 
repetitions,  introduced  for  emphasis  or  iterative 
effect,  are  quite  common  in  the  poetical  books. 


240  JUDA  '61  JE  WELS 

A  fourth  notable  variation  is    the    inversion  of 
the  members  of  the  second  line — e.  g. : 

O  Lord  God  of  hosts,  hear  my  prayer ; 
Give  ear,  O  God  of  Jacob.     (Psalm  Ixxxiv.  8.) 

For  we  are  consumed  by  thine  anger, 

And  by  thy  wrath  are  we  troubled.     (Psalm  xc.  7.) 

In  the  following  examples  mark  also  the  cumula- 
tive force : 

Thou  shalt  tread  upon  the  lion  and  adder, 
The  young  lion  and  the  dragon  shalt  thou  trample  under 

[feet. 

(Psalm  xci.  13.) 
Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul ; 

And  all  that  is  within  me,  bless  his  holy  name. 

(Psalm  ciii.  I.) 
She  is  more  precious  than  rubies, 

And  all  the  things  thou  canst  desire,  are  not  to  be  com- 

[  pared  to  her. 
(Proverbs  iii.  15.) 

Behold  thou  shalt  call  a  nation  that  thou  knowest  not, 
And  nations  that  knew  not  thee  shall  run  unto  thee. 

(Isaiah  Iv.  5.) 

Such  inversions  as  found  in  the  Authorized  Ver- 
sion are  sometimes  the  work  of  the  translators  (e.  g., 
Psalm  li.  3),  but  many  are  original. 

It  is  sufficiently  manifest  from  these  cited  varia- 
tions that  Synonymous  Parallelism  is  susceptible 


VERSES  24! 

of  great  diversity.  The  enumeration,  however,  is 
far  from  being  exhaustive.  There  are  many  other 
variations  which  it  would  be  hard  and  useless  to 
classify. 

II.  Antithetic  Parallelism.     This  species  occurs 
when  two  lines  exhibit  an  opposition  of  terms  and 
sentiments;    when  the  second  is  contrasted  with 
the  first,  sometimes  in  expression,  sometimes  in 
sense  only.     The  antithesis  may  be  complete  or 
partial,  and  is  not  confined  to  any  particular  form, 
but  is  subject  to  all  the  variations  above  enumer- 
ated.    The  following  are  examples : 
A  wise  son  maketh  a  glad  father ; 
But  a  foolish  son  is  the  heaviness  of  his  mother. 

(Proverbs  x.  I.) 

Here  every  phrase  has  its  antithesis,  the  terms 
"father"  and  "mother"  being  correlatively  op- 
posite. Again: 

The  memory  of  the  just  is  blessed  ; 
But  the  name  of  the  wicked  shall  rot.     (Proverbs  x.  7.) 

In  this  instance  the  antithesis  is  partial  only,  the 
terms  "memory"   and   "name"   being  synony- 
mous.    In  the  following  the  order  is  inverted: 
The  Lord  knoweth  the  way  of  the  righteous ; 
But  the  way  of  the  wicked  shall  perish.      (Psalm  i.  6.) 

The  following  illustration,  from  the  Indian  Dram- 
16 


242  JVDA  'S  JB  WELS 

mapada,  has  the  adjacent  lines  antithetic,  the  alter- 
nate ones  synonymous: 

Reflection  is  the  path  of  immortality, 

Thoughtlessness  the  path  of  death. 
Those  who  reflect  do  not  die, 

Those  who  are  thoughtless  are  as  if  dead  already. 

This  species  of  parallelism  is  peculiarly  suited 
to  gnomic  literature,  giving  point  to  aphorisms, 
adages,  and  detached  sentences,  looking  at  the 
subject  in  hand  on  both  sides.  Much  of  the  ele- 
gance, acuteness,  and  force  of  the  proverbs  of 
Solomon  arise  from  this  form  of  expression,  in 
which  they  most  generally  appear,  cutting  both 
ways  like  a  two-edged  sword.  Thought  is  the 
sword  of  the  magistrate  rather  than  of  the  warrior. 
Antithesis  is  generally  a  figure  of  a  cool  nature, 
the  product  of  reflection  rather  than  passion,  and 
hence  more  frequent  in  didactic  composition.  Sen- 
eca abounds  in  antithesis  to  excess.  It  is  the  fa- 
vorite form  in  Arabic  literature.  Hebrew  poetry 
of  all  kinds  furnishes  illustrations,  but  they  are 
especially  numerous  in  the  gnomic  and  didactic 
poems.  One  has  only  to  glance  at  any  page  of 
the  book  of  Proverbs,  after  the  ninth  chapter,  to 
be  impressed  with  their  frequency.  The  follow- 
ing examples  are  taken  from  poems  not  didactic, 


LEASES  243 

and  exhibit  some  of  the  many  variations  and  com- 
binations. The  first  shows  antithesis  between  the 
hemistichs  only,  the  lines  being  synonymously 
parallel  : 

The  Lord  killeth,  and  maketh  alive, 

He  bringeth  down  to  the  grave,  and  bringeth  up. 

The  Lord  maketh  poor,  and  maketh  rich, 

He  bringeth  low,  and  lifteth  up.     (i  Samuel  ii.  6,  7.) 

In  the  following  there  is  a  partial  inversion  of  op- 
posed terms: 

In  the  morning  it  flourisheth  and  groweth  up, 
In  the  evening  it  is  cut  down  and  withereth. 

(Psalm  xc.  6.) 

The  following  stanza  exhibits  antithesis  between 
the  alternate  lines: 

If  ye  be  willing  and  obedient, 

Ye  shall  eat  of  the  good  of  the  land ; 

If  ye  refuse  and  rebel, 

Ye  shall  be  devoured  with  the  sword. 

(Isaiah  i.  19,  20.) 

The  following  pentastich  consists  of  a  quatrain 
and  an  added  line.  The  alternate  lines  of  the 
quatrain  are  synonymously  parallel,  while  the  lines 
of  each  distich  are  antithetic,  as  in  the  above  quo- 
tation from  the  Drammapada: 


244  JUDA  '5  JE  WELS 

For  a  small  moment  have  I  forsaken  thee, 

But  with  great  mercies  will  I  gather  thee ; 

In  a  little  wrath  I  hid  my  face  from  thee  for  a  moment, 
But  with  everlasting  kindness  will  I  have  mercy 

[on  thee, 

Saith  the  Lord,  thy  Redeemer.      (Isaiah  liv.  7,  8.) 

The  following  stanza  exhibits  a  more  elaborate  vari- 
ation, also  combining  both  species  of  parallelism: 

Therefore  thus  saith  the  Lord  God : 
Behold  my  servants  shall  eat, 

But  ye  shall  be  hungry ; 
Behold  my  servants  shall  drink, 

But  ye  shall  be  thirsty  ; 
Behold  my  servants  shall  rejoice, 

But  ye  shall  be  ashamed  ; 
Behold  my  servants  shall  sing  for  joy  of  heart, 

But  ye  shall  cry  for  sorrow  of  heart, 

And  shall  howl  for  vexation  of  spirit. 

(Isaiah  Ixv.  13,  14.) 

Of  the  two  kinds  of  parallelism  now  described, 
Bishop  Jebb  says:  "The  Antithetic  Parallelism 
serves  to  mark  the  broad  distinction  between  truth 
and  falsehood,  between  good  and  evil;  the  Cog- 
nate [Synonymous]  Parallelism  discharges  the 
more  difficult  and  more  critical  function  of  dis- 
criminating (by  its  gradational  structure)  between 


VERSES  245 

different  degrees   of  truth  and  good  on  the  one 
hand,  and  of  falsehood  and  evil  on  the  other." 

III.  Synthetic  Parallelism.  Lowth  describes  this 
species  as  "  consisting  only  in  the  similar  form  of 
construction;  in  which  wbrd  does  not  answer  to 
word,  and  sentence  to  sentence  as  equivalent  or 
opposite ;  but  there  is  a  correspondence  and  equal- 
ity between  different  propositions  in  respect  of  the 
shape  and  turn  of  the  whole  sentence,  and  of  the 
constructive  parts,  such  as  noun  answering  to 
noun,  verb  to  verb,  member  to  member,  negative 
to  negative,  interrogative  to  interrogative."  If 
this  statement  be  accepted,  it  were  better  to  call 
it  Grammatical  or  Syntatic  Parallelism;  but  the 
statement  is  too  narrow,  since,  if  strictly  adhered 
to,  it  would  include  no  very  great  number  of  cases, 
and  necessitate  at  least  one  other  class  for  the 
large  remainder.  Nordheimer  describes  it  better 
as  the  species  wherein  "  an  idea  is  neither  re- 
peated nor  followed  by  its  opposite,  but  is  kept  in 
view  by  the  writer  while  he  proceeds  to  develop 
and  enforce  his  meaning  by  accessory  ideas  and 
modifications."  This  is  quite  wide  enough,  but  is 
very  general  and  vague.  It  hardly  indicates  more 
than  that  parallelism  in  thoughts  (paralleltsmus  sen- 

*Sacra  Literaria,  p.  39. 


2  46  JUDA  '5  JE  WELS 

tentt'arum),  that  logical  but  not  necessarily  formal 
correspondence,  which  Herder  insists  upon  as  be- 
ing the  basis  of  the  original  and  essential  rhythm 
of  poetry  in  general.  In  De  Wette's  classification 
there  is  a  species  not  unlike  the  present,  which  he 
calls  Rhythmical  Parallelism;  and  perhaps  this 
phrase  would  express  the  character  of  the  parallel- 
ism now  under  consideration  better  than  the  one 
in  use.  It  may  not  be  possible  to  define  synthet- 
ic or  constructive  parallelism  very  clearly  and  dis- 
tinctly; and  we  shall  not  go  far  wrong  in  consid- 
ering it  an  indefinite  or  negative  class,  to  which 
may  conveniently  be  referred  those  forms  not 
clearly  referable  to  either  of  the  two  other  class- 
es, but  which  show  by  rhythmical  or  other  corre- 
spondence, or  by  mere  association,  that  they  are 
without  doubt  poetical.  The  following  example 
is  quoted  by  Gesenius: 

One  thing  have  I  desired  of  the  Lord, 

That  will  I  seek  after, 
That  I  may  dwell  in  the  house  of  the  Lord, 

All  the  days  of  my  life, 
To  behold  the  beauty  of  the  Lord, 
And  to  inquire  in  his  temple. 

(Psalm  xxvii.  4.) 

Here  we  see  that  a  certain  rhythm  is  secured  by 
the  similar  length  of  lines.  Sometimes  this  may  be 


VERSES  247 

observed  when  there  is  little  else  in  the  form  to  dis- 
tinguish it  from  prose.  But  in  all  the  examples  here 
given  there  are  synonymous  phrases,  with  only  an 
obscure,  irregular,  and  partial  correspondence  be- 
tween the  lines.  In  some  cases  the  synonyms  are 
so  numerous  and  regular  that  we  hardly  can  decide 
whether  the  parallelism  belongs  to  the  first  or  the 
third  class.  The  following  we  class  as  synthetic: 

With  plentiful  rain,  O  God, 

Thou  didst  sprinkle  thine  heritage, 
And  when  fainting 

Thou  didst  raise  it  up. 
Thy  congregation  hath  dwelt  therein ; 
Thou,  O  God,  didst  provide  in  thy  goodness  for  the  poor. 

Ascribe  ye  strength  unto  God  ; 

Over  Israel  is  his  majesty, 

And  his  strength  in  the  clouds. 
Fearful  art  thou,  O  God,  from  thy  holy  places, 

Mighty  one  of  Israel, 
He  that  gives  strength  and  peace  to  the  people. 

Blessed  be  God.      (Psalm  Ixviii.  9,  10;  34,  35.) 

The  standard  example,  cited  by  Lowth,  is  this* 

The  Lord  Jehovah  hath  opened  my  ear, 

And  I  was  not  rebellious, 

Neither  did  I  withdraw  myself  backward. 

I  gave  my  back  to  the  smiters, 

And  my  cheeks  to  them  that  plucked  off  the  hair ; 

My  face  I  hid  not  from  shame  and  spitting. 

(Isaiah  1.  5,  6.) 


248  JUDA  '5  JE  WELS 

Finally,  we  merely  refer  to  the  notable  Psalm  ex. 
as  throughout  only  constructive  or  synthetic  in  its 
parallelisms. 

In  addition  to  the  three  kinds  of  parallelism  now 
described,  others  have  frequently  been  proposed. 
All  are  here  rejected,  either  as  useless  or  erro- 
neous. Those  suggested  by  Bishop  Jebb  and  by 
Zockler  will  be  considered  in  the  sequel. 

It  is  obvious  that  these  three  species  may  be  so 
combined  among  themselves  as  greatly  to  diversify 
and  enliven  the  expression.  Hence  whatever  be  the 
nature  of  the  sentiment,  it  can  find  among  these 
plastic  forms  that  which  is  adequate  to  convey  its 
full  impression.  The  law  of  parallelism,  at  once 
vigorous  and  flexible,  adapts  itself  readily  to  the 
movements  of  the  spirit.  There  is  a  complete 
subordination  of  outer  form  to  the  inward  sense — 
"  the  thought  lords  it  over  the  form  " — so  that  the 
law  for  the  poet  is  a  law  of  liberty.  He  rises  on 
its  alternate  wings,  exulting  in  a  freedom  from 
metrical  bonds  unknown  to  poets  in  modern  or 
classical  tongues.  Some  critics  regard  parallelism 
as  an  early  stage  in  the  development  of  full  artistic 
form;  others,  more  justly,  as  the  result  of  the 
native  constitution  of  mind  which  clings  to  and 
reviews  the  object  of  passion. 


VERSES  249 

§  8.  This  parallelism  in  one  form  or  the  other 
most  happily  takes  the  place  of  meter  and  rhyme, 
as  being  more  consonant  to  nature,  and  less  fet- 
tered by  artificial  rules.  There  is  no  meter  in 
Hebrew  poetry,  but  there  is  rhythm,  more  im- 
pressive, flexible,  and  free  by  its  separation  from 
meter.  There  are  no  sensuous  rhymes,  that  jingling 
sound  of  like-word  endings,  but  in  the  parallel  ex- 
pressions and  sentiments  there  are  thought-rhymes 
of  far  more  dignity  and  power. 

Let  us  dwell  for  a  moment  on  one  consequence 
of  this  fact.  Suppose  the  poetry  of  the  Bible  had 
been  metrical,  what  would  have  been  the  result? 
One-half  the  Old  Testament  would  have  been  to 
the  Gentiles  a  fountain  sealed.  There  are  literal 
translations  of  Homer  and  Horace  into  fair  Eng- 
lish prose,  but  they  convey  no  adequate  idea  of 
the  originals.  Paradise  Lost  turned  into  German 
prose  would  be  Paradise  lost,  indeed.  Had  the 
prophecies  of  Isaiah  or  the  Psalter  been  composed 
in  classical  meters  or  with  modern  rhymes,  they 
would  have  fared  as  ill  at  the  hands  of  translators. 
They  would  have  remained  unknown  in  their  high- 
est power  to  move  the  heart,  until  some  man  of 
genius  should  give  us  a  metrical  version,  which 
would  be  but  a  paraphrase  after  all.  Something 
must  unavoidably  be  sacrificed  to  the  importunities 


250  JUDA  VS  JE  WELS 

of  metrical  necessity,  and  sense  and  substance 
could  not  maintain  its  predominance  over  sound 
and  form.  Such  versions  would  be  like  Pope's 
Iliad  and  Dryden's  sEneid,  which  are  not  Homer's 
and  Vergil's,  but  Pope's  and  Dryden's. 

But  as  the  case  stands,  there  being  no  word- 
rhymes,  but  only  rhymes  in  thought ;  there  being 
no  meter,  but  only  that  rhythmic  movement  which 
arises  from  the  rhythm  of  sentiments,  it  is  perfectly 
possible  to  preserve  both  the  form  and  spirit  of 
Hebrew  poetry  when  translated  into  any  language 
whatever.  Only  let  the  scholarly  pen  be  literal, 
and,  so  far  as  the  genius  of  its  language  will  per- 
mit, let  it  preserve  the  original  order  of  words, 
then  it  will  reproduce  for  the  Gentile  reader  about 
all  that  the  Hebrew  text  can  give  to  the  best  Jew- 
ish Hebraists  of  our  day.1  It  is,  however,  true 
that  to  convey  the  full  poetic  effect,  a  translation 
should  be  rhythmical,  but  it  need  not  be  metrical. 
The  metrical  versions,  so  often  attempted,  are 
failures.  Dr.  Tayler  Lewis  has  brought  to  the 
task  great  labor,  learning,  and  skill,  and  in  his 
versions  of  Job  and  Ecclesiastes  has  adopted  a 


1  Bishop  Jebb,  Sacra  Literaria.  We  may  add  that  for  this 
reason  it  is  possible,  in  this  discussion,  to  exhibit  the  princi- 
ples of  Hebrew  prosody,  with  very  little  reference  to  the  orig- 
inal language. 


VERSES  251 

meter  of  great  freedom,  so  that  he  is  still  quite  lit- 
eral, and  one  sufficiently  smooth-  yet  we  do  not 
hesitate  to  say  that  the  result  is  on  the  whole  a 
loss,  rather  than  a  gain,  and  that  his  versions  are 
not  likely  to  be  adopted  by  Bible  readers.  After 
preserving  the  parallelisms,  we  need  no  more  than 
what  the  original  has — rhythm;  indeed,  anything 
more  becomes  rather  offensive  to  taste  and  devo- 
tional feeling.  Our  common  English  version  is 
generally  rhythmical,  and  needs  only  perfecting  in 
this  respect  and  in  accurate  translation  to  make  it 
a  complete  and  admirable  representative  of  the 
original. 

The  Hebrew  poems  stand  alone  in  this  respect 
among  the  literatures  of  nations.  They  are  "  uni- 
versal poetry,  the  poetry  of  all  languages,  and  of 
all  peoples."  We  may  clearly  trace  here  the  over- 
ruling providence  and  wisdom  of  Him  who  de- 
signed the  Scriptures  to  be  the  fountain  of  spirit- 
ual light  and  life,  of  faith,  hope,  and  charity,  to 
all  the  peoples  of  eveiy  tongue. 

§  9.  We  propose  to  close  this  examination  of 
the  fundamental  form  by  citing  at  length  Psalm 
cxxx.,  as  illustrative  of  nearly  all  the  species  and 
varieties  of  parallelism  enumerated;  but  also  for 
the  sake  of  its  own  marvelous  beauty  and  ex- 


252  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

cellence.  It  is  known  since  the  times  of  the  early 
Church  as  the  psalm  De  Profundis. 

Out  of  the  depths  have  I  cried  unto  thee,  O  LORD. 

i 
Lord  hear  my  voice  ;  [tions. 

Let  thine  ears  be  attentive  to  the  voice  of  my  supplica- 
If  thou,  LORD,  shouldest  mark  iniquities,  O  Lord,  who 

[shall  stand? 
For  with  thee  is  forgiveness,  that  thou  mayest  be  feared. 

*  ii 

I  wait  for  the  LORD, 

My  soul  doth  wait,  and  in  his  word  do  I  hope ;  [ing, 
My  soul,  for  the  Lord,  more  than  watchmen,  f orthe  morn- 
watchmen,  for  the  morning. 

in 

O  Israel,  hope  in  the  LORD  ; 
For  with  the  LORD  there  is  mercy, 
And  with  him  is  plenteous  redemption ; 
And  He  shall  redeem  Israel  from  all  his  iniquities. 


NOTES. — In  this  psalm  Jehovah  (LORD)  occurs  four  times; 
Jah  (LORD)  once;  and  Adonai  (Lord),  Sovereign  Lord,  three 
times.  This  frequent  naming  indicates  passionate  earnestness. 

The  Invocation. — depths,  of  sorrow  and  misery,  including 
physical  pain, the  fruit  of  sin. — have  I  cried;  referring  to  special 
prayers,  perhaps  frequent  and  recent,  already  offered  during  this 
distress,  but  as  yet  unheard. 

Strophe  i.  The  Petition. — For;  between  the  third  and  fourth 
lines  interpolate  the  thought:  But  away  with  such  dark  antici- 
pations; for,  etc.  (Dean  of  Wells.)  But  I  would  rather  regard 


VERSES  253 

This  is  one  of  the  fifteen  Songs  of  Degrees,  the 
sixth  of  the  seven  Penitential  Psalms,  and  one  of 
the  four  Pauline  Psalms,  as  Luther  called  them. 
It  was  a  favorite  with  him,  and  he  has  imitated 
it  in  one  of  the  best  of  his  hymns,  "Aus  tiefer 
Noth."  It  is  said  that  once  when  suffering  sharp 
pain  of  body,  and  in  great  peril  from  his  enemies, 
he  consoled  his  spirit  by  reciting  this  precious  lit- 
tle psalm,  again  and  again.  Let  us  peer  into  its 
depths,  let  us  get  it  by  heart — I  do  not  say  com- 
mit it  to  memory,  that  is  too  co!4  a  phrase — 
no,  get  it  by  heart,  that  in  the  hour  of  pain  and 
trial  it  may  be  to  us  also  an  angel  of  consolation. 

The  date  and  author  are  unknown,  but  the  psalm 

line  third  as  parenthetical  or  interjectional,  and  take  the  illative 
for  as  connecting  the  second  and  fourth  lines.  The  Revision 
reads  adversatively :  But  "with  t/iee,  etc. — feared,  with  holy  and 
reverent  fear,  inducing  obedience,  but  conjoined  with  love. 

Strophe  2.  The  Meditation. — wait;  "There  are  some,"  says 
Luther,  "who  instead  of  waiting  for  God,  his  time,  his  way, 
his  help,  take  upon  themselves  to  decide  for  him,  how,  when, 
and  in  what  degree  he  shall  aid.  This  is  not  to  wait  for  him ; 
it  is  to  make  God  wait  upon  them,  and  aid  them  as  they  define 
the  way." — word,  of  promise. — watchmen;  perhaps  alluding  to 
the  temple  watchmen.  Observe  the  comma  after  watchmen. 
The  meaning  is,  not  "they  that  watch  for  the  morning,"  as  in 
the  Authorized  Version;  but,  "more  than  watchers  (wait  and 
hope)  for  the  morning."  The  ellipsis  in  the  fourth  line  is  very 
expressive  of  the  length  and  weariness  of  the  watching,  and 
the  partial  repetition  is  very  characteristic  of  meditative  solil- 
oquy. The  supply  of  words  here  by  the  translators  detracts 
greatly  from  the  poetic  effect. 

Strophe  3.  The  Exhortation. — Israel,  God's  people,  spiritual 
Israel. — He,  is  emphatic  in  the  Hebrew. 


254  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

is  certainly  older  than  the  books  of  Chronicles, 
wherein  it  is  quoted.  (2  Chronicles  vi.  40-42.) 
This  quotation  occurs  in  the  prayer  of  Solomon, 
but  we  are  not  permitted  therefore  to  throw  it 
back  to  his  day,  for  the  biblical  critics  say  that  the 
part  of  the  prayer  where  it  occurs  was  probably  a 
subsequent  addition  by  the  chronicler.  As  to  au- 
thorship, it  is  one  of  the  Orphan  Psalms,  as  the 
Talmudists  call  those  that  are  without  title,  and 
we  are  therefore  left  to  conjecture.  It  has  so 
much  the  spirit  and  style  of  David  that  we  feel 
almost  justified  in  ascribing  it  to  him. 

As  already  observed,  this  psalm  illustrates  nearly 
all  of  the  points  which  we  have  discussed.  It 
begins  with  an  independent  monostich.  There 
are  distichs  synonymous,  antithetic,  and  synthetic. 
Those  synonymous  iterant,  -variant,  augent.  Ob- 
serve the  first  in  strophe  I,  for  a  synonymously 
parallel  expansion  of  thought.  These  distichs  are 
varied  by  additions,  ellipses,  repetitions,  and  in- 
versions. Besides,  there  are  variations  in  the 
structure  of  the  strophes.  Observe  particularly  the 
third,  wherein  the  first  line  is  parallel  with  the  last 
(Jebb's  "introverted"  form),  which  last  line  is 
inverted  and  increased  by  an  added  phrase.  The 
whole  is  worthy  of  the  closest  study.  It  is  a  gem, 
a  small  one,  but  of  purest  ray  serene. 


VII-STANZAS 

§i.  THE  distinction  of  lines  (J>esukini)  in  the 
Hebrew  text  of  Job,  Psalms,  and  Proverbs,  by 
means  of  the  poetic  disjunctive  accents,  is  com- 
monly attributed  to  the  Masorites,  but  probably 
had  its  origin  in  the  traditional  cantillation  of  the 
synagogue.  It  is  not  reliable;  for,  as  Ewald  has 
shown,  it  is  in  many  places  violative  of  the  sense, 
and  also  is  carried  into  portions  of  the  text  that 
are  undoubtedly  prose.  The  division  of  the  entire 
text  into  verses  (also  called  pesukim),  by  means 
of  the  soph-pasuk  (}),  is  not  primitive,  but  is  the 
work  of  the  Jewish  Rabbis,  and  was  not  com- 
plete until  the  ninth  century.  It  often  arbitrarily 
breaks  in  upon  the  sense.  These  verse  divisions  are 
commonly  retained  in  our  English  versions.  The 
division  into  chapters  was  as  late  as  the  thirteenth 
century,  made  first  in  the  Latin  Vulgate,  and 
thence  transferred  by  the  Jews  to  the  Hebrew 
text.  It  also  is  often  in  disregard  of  the  natural 
and  true  divisions  as  indicated  by  changes  in  the 
subject-matter.  These  erroneous  divisions  are  a 

great  evil,  often  seriously  obscuring  the  sense. 

(265) 


256  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

The  evil,  however,  would  not  be  to  us  so  serious 
were  it  not  for  the  mode  in  which  our  English 
Bibles  are  commonly  printed.  Not  only  are  the 
capital  divisions  made  too  prominent,  but  each 
verse,  which  is  very  often  but  a  part  of  a  sentence, 
is  presented  as  a  distinct  paragraph,  and  numbered 
at  that.1  Thus  the  connection  of  thought  is  con- 
stantly and  violently  broken,  so  as  greatly  to  em- 
barrass one  accustomed  to  books  printed  in  the 
usual  and  sensible  way.  Also  between  prose  and 
poetry  there  is  no  distinction  to  the  eye,  a  distinc- 
tion always  made  in  secular  works,  although  ren- 
dered far  less  needful  by  the  presence  of  meter 
and  rhyme.  Then  observe  the  double  columns  on 
a  narrow  page;  then  the  penuriously  small  type, 
saving  cost  but  wasting  eyes,  if  indeed  eyesight  be 
expended  on  it;  then  the  bulkiness  of  the  little 
volume,  the  most  unhandy  of  all  shapes  for  a 
reader.  There  is  no  standard  work  in  our  litera- 
ture that  is  persistently  so  wretchedly  booked  for 
the  general  reader.  Only  some  of  the  unhandy 

'This  gross  mode  of  indicating  verses  was  first  introduced- 
into  the  English  Scriptures  in  the  Genevan  version  of  the  New 
Testament  (1557),  and  of  the  whole  Bible  in  1560.  It  has  never 
been  carried  into  the  Hebrew  Scriptures.  In  critical  editions 
of  the  Greek  New  Testament,  and  in  the  English  Paragraph 
Bibles,  including  the  Revised  Version,  the  figures  are  retained 
in  the  margin  for  convenience  of  reference. 


STANZAS  257 

common  editions  of  Shakespeare,  in  forms  abso- 
lutely prohibitory  of  pleasure  or  profit,  are  com- 
parable to  it. 

Everybody  in  a  Christian  land  feels  that  he 
ought  to  have  a  Bible.  He  goes  to  buy  one.  Cost 
is  a  consideration  with  average  humanity.  He 
buys  a  cheap  one.  Perhaps  he  tries  to  read  it. 
From  some  cause,  of  which  this  average  man  is 
unconscious,  he  has  a  very  lively  consciousness 
that  it  is  hard,  uphill  work,  in  fact  positively 
disagreeable.  It  is  of  course  neglected.  He  rests 
satisfied  with  owning  a  Bible.  Perhaps  it  is  a  pres- 
ent, expensive,  handsomely  bound,  for  the  parlor 
table;  perhaps  it  is  one  of  those  huge,  unreadable 
forms  of  that  obsolescent  institution,  the  Family 
Bible.  Either  is  a  bar  to  getting  another;  and 
thus,  by  an  ingenious  device  of  Satan,  working 
through  well-meaning  publishers,  the  Bible  itself 
hinders  the  Bible  from  being  read.  For  it  is  mor- 
ally impossible  to  read  such  a  book;  indeed,  ex- 
cept by  remarkably  good  eyes,  it  is  physically  im- 
possible to  read  the  diamond  editions.  Certainly 
no  one  indifferent  to  religion  will  read  in  spite  of 
such  difficulties.  Our  Bible  societies  are  multi- 
plying these  hindrances  to  Bible  reading,  and  dis- 
tributing them  with  lavish  hand.  Oh,  for  a  Bible 

burning!     I  would  gladly  light  the  pile,  in  the  full 
17 


258  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

persuasion  that  the  destruction  of  nine-tenths  of 
all  the  English  Bibles  now  extant,  if  their  repro- 
duction in  this  form  could  be  prohibited,  would  be 
a  great  blessing,  soon  resulting  in  a  far  more  gen- 
eral and  constant  reading  of  the  Holy  Scriptures. 
But  what  we  especially  insist  upon  is  that  the 
lines  of  poetry  parallel  to  each  other  should  be  so 
arranged  as  to  exhibit  this  relation.  This  much 
can  be  done  with  an  accuracy  admitting  of  only 
occasional  question.  In  several  editions  of  our 
Paragraph  Bibles,  including  the  Revised  Version, 
it  is  measurably  accomplished,  and  this  form  ought 
entirely  to  supersede  that  of  the  common  Bible. 
We  would  insist  that  the  strophic  structure  also 
should  be  exhibited,  only  that  this  is  a  matter  yet 
under  discussion,  a  feature  of  Hebrew  poetry  not 
satisfactorily  worked  out.  It  constitutes  the  sub- 
ject now  before  us. 

§  2.  In  the  previous  chapter  we  have  considered 
the  versification  as  appearing  in  the  parallelism  of 
lines;  we  are  now  to  study  the  form  as  exhibited 
in  more  extended  portions.  In  very  many  of  the 
psalms,  if  the  reader  will  mark  off  the  principal 
divisions  and  the  subordinate  paragraphs,  the  re- 
sult is  a  striking  and  unmistakable  symmetry  of 
parts,  There  seems  to  be  a  natural  division  into 


STANZAS  259 

groups  equally  balanced,  each  group  consisting  of 
similar  subdivisions.  Whether  this  comes  from  the 
natural  pauses  of  thought,  marking  in  such  cases, 
unintentionally  and  as  it  were  accidentally,  sym- 
metrical and  corresponding  divisions,  or  whether 
it  results  from  the  premeditated  design  of  the  art- 
ist, can  be  better  decided  after  a  full  illustration 
of  the  fact. 

A  preliminary  consideration  is  that  frequently 
in  Hebrew  poetry  independent  lines  occur,  not 
parallel  with  any  other.  Such  a  line  we  will  call 
a  monostich.  Examples  are  the  first  line  of  Psalms 
xxiii.,  xviii.,  cxxx.,  and  the  last  line  in  Psalms  viii., 
xv.,  xxv.  The  Hallelujah  which  closes  a  number 
of  the  psalms  is  of  this  character.1  A  monostich 
sometimes  occurs  in  the  body  of  a  psalm — e.  g., 
Psalm  xxiv.,  in  strophes  5  and  6  (pages  150,  151); 
and  Psalm  xix.,  strophe  6  (page  30).  The  failure 
to  observe  the  monostich  has  embarrassed  and 
confused  many  attempts  to  exhibit  the  strophic 


last  five  psalms  are  therefore  called  the  Hallelujah 
Psalms,  or  sometimes  the  Greek  Hallel,  to  distinguish  them 
from  Psalms  cxiii. -cxviii.,  known  as  the  Egyptian  Hallel. 
There  are  some  other  psalms  with  this  appendage.  The  word 
Hallelujah  does  not  occur  in  our  English  version,  it  having 
been  always  translated.  Many  of  these  psalms  have  "  Praise 
ye  the  Lord  "  also  prefixed,  but  this  prefix  was  not  originally  a 
part  of  the  psalm,  but  the  title  only,  as  in  the  LXX, 


260  JUDA  '5  JE  WELS 

structure.  It  should  be  set  apart  to  itself,  but  is 
hardly  to  be  considered  a  stanza.  We  must  not, 
however,  be  hasty  in  pronouncing  a  line  that  is 
not  parallel  a  monostich.  A  line  is  often  so  incor- 
porated by  the  thought  with  its  neighbors  that 
while  not  strictly  parallel  it  must  be  considered  as 
associated  with  them  in  the  stanza.  For  example, 
the  prophecy  of  Hosea  closes  thus: 

Who  is  wise  that  he  may  understand  these  things? 
Prudent  that  he  may  know  them? 

For  the  ways  of  the  Lord  are  right, 
And  the  just  shall  walk  in  them ; 

But  the  transgressors  shall  fall  therein. 

(Hosea  xiv.  9.) 

The  third  line  is  not  to  be  accounted  a  monostich. 
We  may  call  it  the  added  line,  or  odd  stich.  'Other 
examples  will  occur  as  we  proceed. 

To  groups  of  lines  constituting  an  organic  whole 
in  formal  versification,  the  term  strophe  is  now 
commonly  applied,  derived  from  classical  prosody. 
It  is  not,  however,  used  strictly  in  the  classical 
sense,  and  it  is  not  clear  why  our  more  thoroughly 
naturalized  word  stanza  should  be  superseded.  We 
shall  use  both,  with  only  this  difference,  that  the 
latter  term  be  applied  to  the  subdivisions  of  the 
strophe,  when  there  are  any,  as  in  Psalms  xlii.,xliii. 
(page  191 ) .  We  shall  use  also  the  term  antistrophe, 


STANZAS  26l 

of  which  there  is  occasional  need,  in  a  similarly 
accommodated  sense. 

§3.  Let  us  now  consider  certain  obvious  and  un- 
questionable groups  of  parallel  lines. 

First,  there  is,  of  course,  the  distich  clearly  sep- 
arated and  standing  to  itself,  most  frequently  and 
notably  in  Proverbs  x.,  ff.  Such  distinct  distichs 
occur  quite  often  in  the  Psalms  and  Prophets,  but 
it  is  observable  that  generally  they  are  antithetic 
in  character  and  gnomic  in  style.  If  the  strophic 
division  be  recognized,  such  distichs  must  be  ac- 
counted as  stanzas.1 

Secondly,  there  are  frequently  unmistakable  tris- 
tichs.  These  abound  in  the  Psalms,  and  exhibit  a 
considerable  variety  of  structure — e.  g. : 

[ungodly, 

Blessed  is  the  man  that  walketh  not  in  the  counsel  of  the 
Nor  standeth  in  the  way  of  sinners, 
Nor  sitteth  in  the  seat  of  the  scornful. 

(Psalm  i.  i.) 

Here  the  first  clause  is  omitted  in  the  second  and 
third  lines.  The  gradational  structure  is  finely 
marked  throughout,  expressing  progression  in 
wickedness. 


lE.g-.t  Psalm  xv.,  strophes  i  and  4  (pages  154,  155) ;  and  Psalm 
xxiv.,  strophe  2  (page  148). 


262  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

Arise,  O  Lord,  in  thine  anger, 

Lift  up  thyself  because  of  the  rage  of  mine  enemies, 
And  awake  for  me  to  the  judgment  that  thou  hast  or- 

[dained. 
(Psalm  vii.  6.) 

Praise  waiteth  for  thee,  O  God,  in  Sion, 
And  unto  thee  shall  the  vow  be  performed, 
O  thou  that  hearest  prayer,  unto  thee  shall  all  flesh  come. 

(Psalm  Ixv.  1,2.) 

Thou  art  my  hiding  place, 
Thou  shalt  preserve  me  from  trouble, 
Thou  shalt  compass  me  about  with  songs  of  deliverance. 

(Psalm  xxxii.  7.) 

The  lofty  looks  of  man  shall  be  humbled, 

And  the  haughtiness  of  men  shall  be  bowed  down, 

And  the  Lord  alone  shall  be  exalted  in  that  day. 

(Isaiah  ii.  u.) 

The  last  line  is  an  antithesis  to  the  other  two. 
There  is  a  series  of  parallel  tristichs  in  Job  iii. 
4-9.  See  also  Psalm  xv.  (page  154).  The  first 
three  chapters  of  Lamentations  consist  entirely 
of  tristichs.  It  is  not  infrequent  that  in  a  tristich 
but  two  lines  are  parallel,  yet  the  third  odd  line  or 
stich  is  so  incorporated  in  the  sentiment  that  the 
three  must  be  regarded  as  one  stanza — e.  g. : 


STANZAS  263 

Lift  up  your  heads,  O  ye  gates, 
And  be  ye  lifted  up,  ye  everlasting  doors, 
And  the  King  of  glory  shall  come  in. 

(Psalm  xxiv.  7.) 

All  we  like  sheep  have  gone  astray, 

We  have  turned  everyone  to  his  own  way, 

And  the  Lord  hath  laid  on  him  the  iniquity  of  us  all. 

(Isaiah  liii.  6.) 

Thirdly,  there  are  tetrastichs  in  which  two  dis- 
tichs  are  so  closely  associated  as  to  constitute  one 
stanza — e.  g. : 

He  that  killeth  an  ox  is  as  if  he  slew  a  man ; 
He  that  sacrificeth  a  lamb,  as  if  he  cut  off  a  dog's  neck ; 
He  that  offereth  an  oblation,  as  if  he  offered  swine's 

[blood ; 
He  that  burneth  incense,  as  if  he  blessed  an  idol. 

(Isaiah  Ixvi.  3.) 

Thou  shalt  not  be  afraid  for  the  terror  by  night, 
Nor  for  the  arrow  that  flieth  by  day, 
Nor  for  the  pestilence  that  walketh  in  darkness, 
Nor  for  the  destruction  that  wasteth  at  noonday. 

(Psalm  xci.  5,  6.) 

Here  the  lines  in  each  distich  are  partially  anti- 
thetic, and  the  distichs  themselves  synonymously 
parallel.  Again : 


264  JUDA'S  JEWELS 

The  ox  knoweth  his  owner, 

And  the  ass  his  master's  crib ; 

But  Israel  doth  not  know, 

My  people  doth  not  consider.     (Isaiah  i.  3.) 

Here  the  lines  of  each  distich  are  synonymously 
parallel,  while  the  distichs  themselves  are  anti- 
thetic. 

A  very  common  form  of  the  tetrastich  is  the 
quatrain,  wherein  the  lines  are  alternately  parallel 
—e.  g.  : 

For  as  the  heaven  is  high  above  the  earth, 

So  great  is  his  mercy  toward  them  that  fear  him ; 

As  far  as  the  east  is  from  the  west, 

So  far  hath  he  removed  our  transgressions  from  us. 

(Psalm  ciii.  n.) 

The  Lord  is  my  light  and  my  salvation, 

Whom  shall  I  fear? 
The  Lord  is  the  strength  of  my  life, 

Of  whom  shall  I  be  afraid?1     (Psalm  xxvii.  i.) 

For  thy  maker  is  thy  husband, 

The  Lord  of  hosts  is  his  name ; 
And  thy  redeemer,  the  Holy  One  of  Israel, 

The  God  of  the  whole  earth  shall  he  be  called. 

(Isaiah  liv.  5.) 


1  See  the  remarks  on  bi-membral  lines,  page  235. 


STANZAS  265 

I  will  make  mine  arrows  drunk  with  blood, 

And  my  sword  shall  devour  flesh, 
With  the  blood  of  the  slain,  and  of  the  captains, 

•From  the  chief  of  the  princes  of  the  enemy. 

(Deuteronomy  xxxii.  42.) 

In  this  passage  from  the  Song  of  Moses  the  third 
line  is,  in  sense,  a  direct  continuation  of  the  first, 
and  not  of  the  second;  and  the  fourth,  of  the  sec- 
ond, and  not  of  the  third.  This  peculiar  struc- 
ture is  rare.  An  approach  to  it  is  seen  in  the 
example  next  above.  The  tetrastich  in  its  several 
varieties  seems  to  be  the  most  natural,  and  by  far 
the  most  frequent  form  of  the  stanza. 

In  the  fourth  place,  pentastichs  occur  by  the  in- 
timate connection  of  a  distich  and  tristich — e.  g.: 

And  if  I  say  :  Only  let  darkness  cover  me, 

And  let  the  light  about  me  be  night ; 

Even  darkness  hideth  not  from  thee, 

But  the  night  shineth  as  the  day, 

Darkness  is  as  light.     (Psalm  cxxxix.  n,  12.) 

Another  form  is  where  with  four  lines  an  odd  line 
is  associated,  though  not  parallel — e.  g.: 
A  thousand  shall  fall  at  thy  side, 
And  ten  thousand  at  thy  right  hand, 
But  it  shall  not  come  nigh  thee, 
Only  with  thine  eyes  shalt  thou  behold, 
And  see  the  reward  of  the  wicked.     (Psalm  xci.  7,  8.) 


266  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

This  is  similar  in  construction  to  the  closing  stanza 
of  Hosea,  quoted  in  the  last  section  (page  260). 
Another  form  adds  to  a  quatrain  an  odd  line,,  as 
follows,  the  final  odd  line,  in  this  case,  giving  the 
reason : 

And  when  ye  spread  forth  your  hands, 
I  will  hide  mine  eyes  from  you ; 

Yea,  when  ye  make  many  prayers, 
I  will  not  hear ; 

Your  hands  are  full  of  blood.      (Isaiah  i.  15.) 

Further,  two  tristichs  may  be  combined  to  form 
a  six-lined  stanza — e.  g.,  Psalm  xxxix.,  strophes  2 
and  3  (pages  182,  183).  Again,  we  may  have  an 
odd  line  associated  with  a  double  tristich  consti- 
tuting a  seven-lined  stanza — £•£••>  Psalm  vii.,  stro- 
phe 2  (page  56);  the  odd  line,  in  this  case,  being 
inserted  between  the  two  tristichs. 

It  is  obvious  that  there  may  be  many  variations 
other  than  those  illustrated ;  and  that  as  the  length 
of  the  stanzas  increase,  the  varieties  of  possible 
construction  increase  in  geometrical  ratio,  and  be- 
yond practical  enumeration.  Many  illustrations 
occur  in  the  preceding  chapters. 

§  4.  There  is  one  peculiar  mode  in  which  tetras- 
tichs,"  and  sometimes  stanzas  of  a  greater  number 
of  lines,  are  occasionally  formed  that  deserves 


STANZAS  267 

special  mention.  "  These  stanzas,"  says  Bishop 
Jebb,  "  are  so  constructed  that  whatever  be  the 
number  of  lines,  the  first  line  shall  be  parallel  with 
the  last,  the  second  with  the  penultimate,  and  so 
throughout,  in  an  order  that  looks  inward,  or,  to 
borrow  a  military  phrase,  from  flanks  to  center" 
—e.g.: 

My  son,  if  thine  heart  be  .wise, 

My  heart  also  shall  rejoice  ; 

Yea,  my  reins  shall  rejoice, 
When  thy  lips  speak  right  things. 

(Proverbs  xxiii.  15,  16.) 

This  structure  is  cited  by  Jebb  as  a  species  of 
parallelism,  which  he  calls  "Introverted  Parallel- 
ism," superadding  it  to  the  three  species  of  Lowth. 
It  is,  however,  manifestly  not  this,  since  it  has  no 
reference  to  the  nature  of  the  parallelism,  but  only 
to  the  order  in  which  lines  parallel  shall  be  ar- 
ranged. It  relates  to  the  structure  of  the  strophe, 
and  the  phrase  Introverted  Strophe  or  Stanza 
would  be  more  appropriate.  Another  and  a  very 
good  name  is  given  to  it  by  Jebb,  the  Epanodos, 
literally  a  going  back,  replying  in  advance  to  the 
second  of  two  subjects  proposed;  or,  if  these  be 
more  than  two,  resuming  in  a  precisely  inverted 
order.  We  subjoin  other  examples: 


268  J  UDA  >S  JE  WELS 

Lord,  thou  hast  been  our  dwelling  place  in  all  genera- 
Before  the  mountains  were  brought  forth,  [tions; 
Or  ever  thou  hadst  formed  the  earth  and  the  world, 

Even  from  everlasting  to  everlasting  thou  art  God. 

(Psalm  xc.  i.) 

Unto  thee  lift  I  up  mine  eyes,  O  thou  that  dwellest  in 

[the  heavens ; 

Behold,  as  the   eyes  of  servants,  unto  the  hand  of 

[their  masters, 

As  the  eyes  of  a  maiden,  unto  the  hand  of  her  mis- 
press, 

Even  so  look  our  eyes  to  Jehovah  our  God,  until  he  have 

[mercy  upon  us. 
(Psalm  cxxiii.  i,  2.) 

The  idols  of  the  heathen  are  silver  and  gold ; 
The  work  of  men's  hands. 

They  have  mouths,  but  they  speak  not, 
Eyes  have  they,  but  they  see  not, 
They  have  ears,  but  they  hear  not, 
Neither  is  there  any  breath  in  their  mouths 
They  that  make  them  are  like  unto  them ; 
So  is  everyone  that  trusteth  in  them. 

(Psalm  cxxxv.  15-17.) 

This  is  remarkably  elaborate;  of  course,  such 
cases  are  rare.  We  add  two  examples  of  uncon- 
scious epanodic  stanzas  from  the  New  Testament: 


STANZAS  269 

Give  not  that  which  is  holy  to  the  dogs, 

Neither  cast  ye  your  pearls  before  swine, 
Lest  they  trample  them  under  their  feet, 

And  turn  again  and  rend  you. 

(Matthew  vii.  6.) 

Here  the  more  dangerous  act  of  imprudence, 
with  its  fatal  result,  is  placed  first  and  last,  thus 
making  and  leaving  the  deepest  practical  impres- 
sion. 

For  we  are  unto  God,  a  sweet  savor  of  Christ, 
In  them  that  are  saved, 
And  in  them  that  perish ; 
To  the  one,  the  savor  of  death  unto  death ; 
And  to  the  other,  the  savor  of  life  unto  life. 

(2  Corinthians  ii.  15,  16.) 

In  this  case  of  epanodos,  the  painful  part  of  the 
subject  is  kept  subordinate,  while  the  pleasing  part 
is  placed  first  and  last. 

§5.  The  question  now  recurs  whether  these 
strophic  divisions  are  artificial,  designed  by  the 
poet;  or  whether  they  are  not  accidental,  perhaps 
developed  only  by  the  fancy  of  the  editor.  If  the 
examples  accumulated  above,  and  in  the  preceding 
chapters,  were  fully  representative  of  Hebrew  po- 
etry, perhaps  no  unprejudiced  reader  would  deny 
the  reality  of  this  structure,  even  though  many 


270  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

distributions  in  detail  might  be  objected  to.  But 
in  fact,  a  considerable  number  of  the  psalms,  and 
perhaps  the  great  bulk  of  prophetic  poetry,  does 
not  exhibit  symmetrical  structure,  and  in  some 
cases  apparently  cannot  be  distributed  into  stro- 
phes at  all.  Some  editors,  as  Merx  on  Job,  find 
divisions  symmetrical  throughout,  but  these  in 
many  cases  are  so  manifestly  forced  that  they  can- 
not be  accepted.  Granting  that  strophic  structure 
is  not  to  be  found  in  Job,  nor  in  the  Prophets, 
this  would  not  decide  against  its  existence  else- 
where; for  these  may  correspond  to  our  current 
verse,  as  Pope's  Messiah  or  the  epics,  which  are 
without  stanzas.  But  again,  we  are  startled  in 
looking  through  those  editions  which  exhibit  the 
psalms  strophically  arranged,  to  see  the  wide  dif- 
ferences between  editors  in  cases  of  the  simplest 
and  apparently  the  most  obvious  kind.  For  a 
single,  though  extreme  example,  we  refer  to 
Psalm  cxxx.  (page  252).  This  seems  evidently  and 
indisputably  to  consist  of  an  Invocation,  a  mono- 
stich,  followed  by  three  tetrastich  strophes,  re- 
spectively a  Petition,  a  Meditation,  and  an  Exhor- 
tation. Now  Moll  makes  four  strophes,  two  tetras- 
tichs,  and  two  pentastichs,  marking  the  parallel- 
isms also  in  some  cases  quite  differently.  Canon 
Cook  cites  this  psalm  as  one  example  of  those  in 


STANZAS  271 

which  "  each  line  forms  a  complete  sense,  not 
justifiably  called  a  strophe."  This  shows  how  lit- 
tle reliance  is  to  be  placed  on  mere  subjective  im- 
pressions; and,  unless  we  can  find  other  ground, 
such  differences  make  it  a  question  whether  stro- 
phic  structure  may  not  be  altogether  a  fancy. 

That  there  are  artificial  subdivisions  is,  in  a 
number  of  cases,  proved  by  certain  original,  prim- 
itive marks,  almost  as  purely  mechanical  as  punc- 
tuation marks.  The  Selah  is  of  this  character. 
For,  whatever  may  be  the  meaning  of  this  hope- 
lessly obscure  term,  if  indeed  it  be  a  word  at  all; 
whether  or  not  we  accept  the  usual  view  that  it  is 
connected  with  the  liturgical  use  of  the  psalm 
wherewith  it  occurs,  being  a  musical  sign  indicat- 
ing a  pause  when,  perhaps,  the  people  prostrated 
themselves,  or  marking  emphasis  when  they  shout- 
ed Hallelujah;  still  this  fact  is  pretty  well  estab- 
lished, that  it  is  not  a  part  of  the  text  of  the  psalm.1 
In  many  cases  it  unquestionably  marks  subdivi- 
sions. In  Psalm  iii.  it  occurs  at  the  end  of  the 
first  and  of  the  second  tetrastich,  and  at  the  close. 
Now  if  we  count  off  a  third  tetrastich,  we  find  at 
its  end  a  pause  in  the  sense,  made  evident  by  an 
ejaculation ;  hence  some  exegetes  have  thought  it 

'The  Selah  occurs  in  thirty-nine  psalms,  altogether  seventy- 
one  times,  besides  three  times  in  Habakkuk. 


272  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

probable  that  originally  there  was  a  Selah  here 
also,  which  has  fallen  out  in  copying.  However 
this  may  be,  if  we  assume  this  third  tetrastich,  the 
subdivision  becomes  quite  symmetrical,  and  these 
parts,  which  may  very  well  be  called  strophes  or 
stanzas,  we  can  hardly  doubt  were  intended  by 
the  poet.  But  unfortunately,  in  the  very  next 
psalm  the  Selah  does  not  coincide  with  the  pauses 
in  sense,  and  if  we  divide  the  psalm  into  strophes 
upon  this  latter  basis,  the  Selah  will  fall  each  time 
in  the  middle  of  a  strophe.  If  we  turn  to  Psalm 
xlvi.,  we  find  the  Selah  again  marking  the  divi- 
sions of  thought  quite  accurately.  Further  exam- 
ination will  show  that  in  general  it  does  so ;  and 
hence,  while  the  irregularities  are  so  numerous 
that  we  do  not  find  it  a  reliable  guide,  still  it  fur- 
nishes strong  evidence  of  artificial  structure  in  the 
distribution  of  parts. 

We  turn  once  again  to  the  Alphabetic  Psalms. 
These  are  a  species  of  acrostic,  wherein  the  initial 
letter  of  certain  lines  taken  in  order  make  the  He- 
brew alphabet.1  The  object  seems  to  have  been 

'Altogether  nine  psalms  may  be  accounted  alphabetic.  In 
Psalms  cxi.  and  cxii.,  the  alphabetic  letters  are  the  initials  of 
each  line;  in  Psalms  xxv.,  xxxiv.,  and  cxlv.,  they  are  the  initials 
of  each  distich;  in  Psalms  ix.,  x.,  and  xxxvii.,  they  are  the  ini- 
tials of  each  tetrastich;  in  Psalm  cxix.,  they  are  the  initials  of 
the  distichs,  but  each  letter  is  repeated  eight  times,  making  an, 


STANZAS  273 

to  assist  the  memory.  "  In  the  scatterings  and 
wanderings  of  families,"  says  Isaac  Taylor,  "  and 
in  lonely  journeyings,  in  deserts  and  cities,  where 
no  synagogue  service  could  be  enjoyed,  the  met- 
rical Scriptures,  infixed  as  they  were  in  the  mem- 
ory by  the  very  means  of  these  artificial  devices  of 
versets  and  of  alphabetic  order  and  of  alliteration, 
became  food  to  the  soul.  Thus  was  the  religious 
constancy  of  the  people,  and  its  brave  endurance 
of  injury  and  insult,  sustained  and  animated."  l 

There  are  in  some  cases  a  number  of  irregular- 
ities in  the  alphabetic  order  which  have  given 
much  trouble  to  the  critics,  but  which  may  per- 
haps be  explained  by  saying  that  the  poet  adopted 
the  acrostic  plan,  but  refused  to  be  fettered  by  it, 
especially  since  the  purpose  in  adopting  it,  as  an 
aid  to  memory,  would  not  be  hindered,  but  rather 
promoted,  by  some  deviations.  Another  explana- 
tion is  that  these  irregularities  were  occasioned  by 
corruptions  of  the  text.  In  any  case,  it  is  evident 
that  the  alphabetic  arrangement  is  not  a  poetic  el- 
ement, but  rather  a  mechanical  mnemonic  device. 
Ewald  regards  it  as  evidence  of  late  date  of  com- 
position, and  De  Wette  of  degenerate  taste,  but 


alliterative  strophe  of  eight  dislichs,  and  twenty-two  strophes, 
the  number  of  the  letters  of  the  Hebrew  alphabet. 
1  Spirit  of  Hebrew  Poetry,  chapter  xiii.,  nqte. 

18 


2  74  JUDA  'S1  JE  WELS 

it  happens  that  five  of  these  psalms  are  ascribed 
to  David  by  their  titles,  and  these  critics  have  failed 
to  disprove  his  authorship. 

This  acrostic  device  is  not  confined  to  the 
Psalms.  It  is  found  in  Proverbs,  very  notably  in 
chapter  xxxi.  10  ff.,  which  is  a  regular  alphabetic 
poem,  delineating  the  virtues  of  the  Hebrew  ma- 
tron. The  Lamentations  of  Jeremiah  consist  of 
five  poems,  each  a  chapter  of  twenty-two  verses, 
except  the  third,  which  should  have  had  this  num- 
ber, but,  by  a  mistake  in  the  length  of  the  verses, 
has  sixty-six.  All  these  are  alphabetic  except  the 
fifth.  In  the  first  three  the  initials  of  the  first  lines 
of  the  tristichs  make  the  alphabet.  In  the  third, 
moreover,  each  of  the  lines  in  the  tristich  begins 
with  the  same  letter.  In  the  fourth  the  initials  of 
each  distich  make  the  alphabet.  The  lines  in 
these  poems  are  longer  than  usual;  and  it  is  also 
worthy  of  remark  that  the  Hebrew  alphabetic  po- 
etry is  mostly  elegiac  or  didactic. 

Now  it  is  manifest,  without  further  showing, 
that  this  highly  artificial  structure  warrants  the 
conclusion  that,  in  those  cases  at  least  where  the 
number  of  lines  included  under  one  alphabetic  ini- 
tial is  more  than  two,  the  poet  wrote  in  stanzas. 
Some  editors  go  farther  than  this,  and  regard  the 
alphabetic  distichs  as  distinct  strophes.  So  Moll 


STANZAS  275 

presents  Psalm  xxxiv.  He  regards  it  as  a  mere 
florilege,  a  collection  of  gnomes.  So  also  Canon 
Cook.  From  these  views  we  dissent.  See  our 
presentation  of  this  psalm  on  pages  69-72,  and 
remarks.  Also  Psalms  xxv.  and  cxlv.  have  each 
four  well-marked  divisions  of  nearly  equal  length. 
In  the  three,  David  seems  to  have  had  in  view  a 
strophic  structure  entirely  independent  of  the  al- 
phabetic arrangement.  But  in  Psalm  xxxvii.  and 
in  ix.,  x.,  which  last  two  were  probably  one  con- 
tinuous composition,1  he  has  united  the  two  forms, 
though  in  the  latter  case  quite  irregularly.  Was 
not  David  the  inventor  of  this  alphabetic  device  ? 

The  refrain,  which  occurs  in  a  number  of 
psalms,  also  indicates  a  symmetrical  and  a  strophic 
structure.  One  of  the  finest  examples  is  the  grand 
hymn  Psalm  xlvi.,  which  Luther  so  nobly  imitated 
in  his  choral  hymn  Ein*  feste  Berg  ist  unser  Gott, 
called  the  Marseillaise  of  the  Reformation.  The 
refrain  occurs  at  verses  7  and  n,  which  confirms 
the  conclusion  drawn  above  (page  272)  from  the 
indications  of  the  Selah  in  this  psalm.  Did  not 
this  refrain  also  occur,  originally,  between  verses 
3  and  4,  having  been  lost  by  the  copyists?  Its  in- 
sertion would  perfect  the  symmetry.  The  refrain 
in  Psalms  xlii.,  xliii.  (page  191)  at  stanzas  3,  6,  9, 

1They  are  presented  as  one  in  the  LXX. 


276  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

has  always  been  noted  not  only  for  its  beauty, 
but  also  for  its  dividing  the  poem  into  three  equal 
and  balanced  parts.  The  refrain  is  found  in 
Psalm  cvii.,  at  verses  8,  15,  21,  and  31.  This 
poem  has  other  characteristics  of  artistic  regular- 
ity. Indeed,  it  impresses,  if  not  oppresses,  the 
reader  with  a  sense  of  its  elaborate  structure. 
But  a  refrain  indicating  smaller  divisions  will  be 
more  to  the  present  point.  We  turn  to  the  alle- 
goric Psalm  Ixxx.,  which  is  divided  into  four  parts 
by  the  refrain  in  verses  3,  7,  and  14  (varied  in 
form),  and  19.  But  observe  particularly  the  beau- 
tiful little  missionary  hymn  Psalm  Ixvii. ;  though 
here  the  irregular  placing  of  the  Selah  is  embar- 
rassing. Disregarding  it,  and  taking  the  refrain 
to  begin  strophes  2  and  3,  we  have  a  regular 
structure.  The  refrain  in  some  psalms  indicates 
their  use  by  antiphonal  choirs.1 

These  confessedly  artificial  features  justify  us  in 
concluding  that  strophic  division  is  original  in  He- 
brew poetry.  It  is  not  meant  that  it  was  origi- 
nated by  the  Hebrew  mind.  David  had  the  po- 
etry of  Moses  to  suggest  it  to  him;  for  Psalm  xc., 
the  only  one  in  the  Psalter  earlier  than  David,  and 
Moses's  Song  in  Deuteronomy  xxxii.,  both  exhibit 
strophic  structure.  Moses  probably  received  the 

'See  especially  Psalm  cxxxvi.;  and  cf.  Ezra  iii.  n. 


STANZAS  277 

idea  in  his  Egyptian  education.  Egyptian  papyri 
earlier  than  the  Pentateuch  are  said  to  exhibit  this 
division  of  poems  into  strophes.  Each  strophe  in 
the  Hymn  to  the  Nile  has  the  first  word  written  in 
red  ink;  and  so  also  the  Litanies  to  the  Sun  in  the 
Egyptian  Ritual.1  We  do  not  suppose  the  Hebrews 
followed  such  models,  but  rather  that  they  elabo- 
rated from  this  starting  point  a  system  of  their  own. 

§  6.  Biblical  scholars  and  commentators  gen- 
erally accept  thus  much,  but  the  details  of  the 
subject  have  not  been  satisfactorily  settled.  No 
principle  or  principles  have  been  agreed  upon  by 
which  to  determine  what  constitutes  a  stanza  or 
strophe.  The  quasi-mechanical  aids  of  the  alpha- 
betic arrangement,  the  Selah,  and  the  refrain, 
occur  too  seldom  to  be  of  much  service  here. 
There  is  perhaps  but  one  principle  always  at  hand 
by  which  we  may  determine  the  association  of 
lines  in  one  organic  whole,  and  this  we  will  call 
the  logical  coherence.  The  inner  sense  and  mean- 
ing may  be  relied  upon  to  fix  the  extent  of  the 
stanza,  assuming  that  commonly  each  involves  a 
whole  thought  as  completed  by  its  accessories. 
This  is  generally  true  of  the  modern  and  classical 
stanza ;  though  it  sometimes  occurs  that  a  thought 

'Birch's  Records  of  the  Past,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  106. 


278  JUDA'S  JEWELS 

runs  out  into  two  or  more  stanzas,  and  sometimes, 
but  more  rarely,  that  two  distinct  thoughts  are 
found  in  one.  Our  first  principle,  then,  is  that 
where  clauses  and  sentences  manifest  a  unity  of 
thought,  a  logical  coherence,  they  may  commonly 
be  taken  as  constituting  a  stanza. 

When  the  extent  of  the  stanza  or  strophe  has 
thus  been  at  least  hypothetically  fixed,  we  need 
then  to  determine  its  inner  form.  This  is  done  by 
an  examination  of  the  parallelisms,  and  an  adjust- 
ment of  the  lines  so  as  to  exhibit  their  several  re- 
lations. The  s'imple  classification  of  stanzas,  which 
we  have  given,  by  the  number  of  lines,  with  the 
two  varieties  of  the  quatrain  and  the  epanodos, 
will  answer  all  primary  purposes,  at  least  in  simple 
cases.  But  it  is  to  be  observed  that,  owing  to  the 
plasticity  of  the  fundamental  principle,  there  is  an 
almost  endless  variety  of  forms  which  the  stanza 
may  assume. 

When  the  stanzas  of  a  poem  have  been  provis- 
ionally adjusted,  the  whole  should  be  revised  and 
readjusted  with  reference  to  the  general  corre- 
spondence of  forms  and  symmetry  of  structure 
whenever  evidences  of  symmetry  are  discerni- 
ble. 

By  these  means  can  be  restored  what  in  some 
cases  we  may  regard  as  the  original  structure  de- 


STANZAS  279 

signed  by  the  poet.  But  in  others  the  result  is 
perhaps  very  questionable;  for  the  principle  of 
logical  coherence  often  fails  to  indicate  sharp  dis- 
tinctions, the  pauses  in  thought  not  being  always 
definite;  and  hence  the  form  may  be  so  indeter- 
minate and  conjectural  as  to  accommodate  itself 
to  the  individual  taste  of  the  editor  for  symmetry 
of  parts  and  for  rhythmical  cadence. 

The  examples  presented  in  these  chapters  have 
been  thus  worked  out;  it  must  be  confessed  with 
a  result  differing  in  each  case  from  any  to  be 
found  in  the  critical  editions  of  Hebrew  poetry. 
No  apology,  however,  is  offered  for  this  fact,  since 
these  editions  exhibit  so  little  adherence  to  any 
principle,  and  often  so  great  carelessness,  and 
since  the  results  in  some  cases  are  manifestly  fan- 
ciful and  forced.1 

JJ.  B.  Ktfster  has  done  more  than  any  other  biblical  critic  to 
develop  strophic  structure.  But  his  principle  is  purely  arti- 
ficial, and  in  the  majority  of  cases  wholly  inapplicable,  and  in 
these  he  proceeds  apparently  without  rule. 

Having  given  form  to  the  psalms  separately,  KOster  pro- 
ceeds to  classify  them  according  to  this  structure.  His  classi- 
fication, which  is  generally  admissible,  and  has  been  approved 
by  many  commentators,  is  as  follows: 

1.  Those  psalms  having  strophes  of  equal   length.     Exam- 
ples cited  are:  Psalms  iii.,  iv.,  xii.,  xxiv.,  xxxii.,  Ix. 

2.  Those  in  which  strophes  of  unequal  length  are  arranged 
symmetrically  in  corresponding  groups.     Thus,  letting  the  fig- 


280  JUDA  '5  JE  WELS 

§  7.  There  is  another  formative  principle  which, 
while  not  universal  nor  sharply  definite,  will,  if 
recognized,  confirm  our  faith  in  strophic  structure, 
and  in  many  cases  assist  in  the  restoration  of  form. 
It  is  merely  the  extension  of  the  fundamental  form, 
the  primary  principle  of  Hebrew  versification, 
thus:  Not  only  are  lines  parallel  to  each  other, 
but  distichs  and  tristichs  are  often  parallel  to  each 
other,  so  also  are  stanzas  and  strophes,  so  also  are 
larger  general  divisions.  And  moreover,  the  three 
kinds  of  parallelism,  the  synonymous,  the  anti- 
thetic, and  the  synthetic  or  rhythmical,  are  also 
traceable  in  this  correspondence,  in  this  balancing 


ures  represent  the  number  of  verses  in  a  strophe,  we  may  have 
the  following  groups : 

2,  2,  3,  3;  2,  3,  2,  35  2,3,3,2. 

The  last  inverted  order  is  compared  to  the  Greek  antistrophe, 
and  the  following  examples  are  cited: 

Psalm  vi. — 3,  4,  3;  Psalm  xlvii. — 4,  i,  4. 

Psalm  xxxv.— 3,  3,  4,  4,  4,  4,  3,  3- 

Psalm  xlv.— i,  i,  3,  3,  i,  3,  3,  i,  i. 

3.  Those  in  which  the  strophes  increase  or  decrease  through- 
out the  psalm,  determined  by  the  abundant  matter,  or  by  the 
overflow  of  feeling.    Examples  cited  are  Psalms  xviii.  and  xliv. 

4.  Those  of  which  the  form   is  wholly  irregular,  like  the 
Greek  dithyramb.     These  mostly  belong  to  a  late  age,  and  are 
found,  with  few  exceptions,  in  the  latter  part  of  the  Psalter. 
David's  Psalm  xxi.  is  cited  as  a  dithyrambic  pzean  consisting  of 
a  short  strophe  of  two  verses  with  a  Selah,  two  longer  of  five 
verses  each,  and  an  ejaculatory  close. 


STANZAS  28l 

of  the  larger  parts  with  each  other.  In  short,  the 
principle  of  parallelism  is  thoroughgoing. 

As  examples  of  parallel  distichs,  we  cite  the  fol- 
lowing: 

Will  the  Lord  cast  off  forever? 

And  will  he  be  favorable  no  more? 

Is  his  mercy  clean  gone  forever? 

Doth  his  promise  fail  for  evermore? 

Hath  God  forgotten  to  be  gracious? 

Hath  he  in  anger  shut  up  his  tender  mercies? 

(Psalm  Ixxvii.  7-9.) 

His  anger  endureth  but  a  moment, 

In  his  favor  is  life ; 

Weeping  may  endure  for  a  night, 

But  joy  cometh  in  the  morning.    (Psalm  xxx.  5.) 

In  the  first  example,  both  lines  and  distichs  are 
synonymously  parallel.  In  th^  second,  the  lines 
in  each  distich  are  antithetic,  the  distichs  synony- 
mous. In  the  following  the  lines  are  synonymous 
and  the  distichs  antithetic: 

The  Lord  bringeth  the  counsel  of  the  heathen  to  naught, 
He  maketh  the  devices  of  the  people  of  none  effect ; 
The  counsel  of  the  Lord  standeth  forever, 
The  thoughts  of  his  heart  to  all  generations. 

(Psalm  xxxiii.  10,  II.) 

In  the  following  the  lines  are    antithetic,  but   in 


282  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

inverted  order,  thus  making  the  distichs  also  anti- 
thetic : 

A  little  that  a  righteous  man  hath 
Is  better  than  the  riches  of  many  wicked ; 
For  the  arms  of  the  wicked  shall  be  broken, 
But  the  Lord  upholdeth  the  righteous. 

(Psalm  xxx vii.  16,  17.) 

We  observe  that  this  parallelism  of  distichs  is  es- 
sential in  the  very  nature  of  the  quatrain,  and  of 
the  epanodos;  for  in  the  distichs  taken  severally 
the  lines  are  not  parallel,  and  hence  parallelism 
must  occur  between  the  distichs:  see  examples 
in  §2  and  §3.  For  examples  of  parallel  tristichs, 
see  Psalm  xxxix.,  strophes  2  and  3  (pages  182, 183). 

Our  space  will  permit  only  a  reference  to  paral- 
lel stanzas,  and  we  select  a  few  of  the  more  obvi- 
ous sort.  See  Psalm  xxix.,  strophes  3  and  4  (pages 
35,36);  and  Psalm  cxxxix.,  strophe  i,  stanzas  i  and 
2 ;  also  strophe  4,  stanzas  i  and  2  (pages  203,  206). 
These  are  synonymously  parallel.  The  following 
are  antithetic :  Psalm  xxvii. ,  strophes  i  and  3  (pages 
97,  98)  ;  and  Psalm  Ixviii.,  strophe  i,  stanzas  i  and 
3  (page  136).  In  most  cases  we  may  consider  the 
parallelism  between  stanzas  to  be  synthetic  only, 
giving  rise  to  similar  structure,  and  a  certain  rhyth- 
mical likeness.  The  general  result  is  symmetry. 

The  parallelism  between  strophes  including  two 


STANZAS  283 

or  more  stanzas,  or  between  the  general  divisions 
of  poems,  is  sometimes  quite  striking.  For  exam- 
ple, Psalm  i.  consists  of  two  parts  of  three  verses 
each,  which  parts  are  clearly  antithetic,  possibly 
used  responsively.  It  may  be  remarked  that  the 
second  part  is  the  shorter,  expressing,  perhaps, 
the  shorter  continuance  of  the  ungodly,  or  more 
prompt  dealing  with  him,  or,  perhaps,  the  subject 
being  painful  to  the  psalmist,  he  leaves  it  sooner. 
Also  observe  the  parallelism  of  the  parts  of  Psalm 
cvii.  separated  by  the  refrain.  Also  in  Psalm  xxiv., 
strophes  5  and  6  (pages  150,  151)  are  almost  iden- 
tical. The  three  parts  of  Psalms  xlii.,  xliii.  (page 
191)  are  in  elegant  correspondence  with  each  oth- 
er. In  many  cases  where  a  formal  parallelism 
of  the  parts  is  not  manifested  by  a  symmetrical 
structure,  a  logical  correspondence  is  neverthe- 
less quite  obvious. 

It  seems  to  the  writer  that  no  one  who  considers 
attentively  these  complex  correspondences,  such 
as  we  have  already  pointed  out  and  are  about  to 
illustrate  further,  and  who  experiences  the  pleas- 
ing sentiment  which  the  consequent  graceful  sym- 
metry inspires,  can  withhold  his  assent  from  the 
statement  that  parallelism  between  members,  small 
and  great,  is  a  thoroughgoing  principle  in  He- 
brew poetry.  While  it  does  not  govern,  but  only 


284  JUDA'S  JEWELS 

serves;  while  it  does  not  mold,  but  only  clothes 
the  thought  in  artistic  robes;  still  it  is  to  be 
accepted  as  that  which  distinguishes  the  poetic 
from  the  prosaic  form  of  speech  in  the  Hebrew, 
and  as  the  fundamental  principle  which  justifies 
the  search  for  and  the  exhibition  of  strophic  and 
symmetrical  structure.  We  do  not  forget  the  en- 
tire freedom  of  the  Hebrew  poet  from  prosodial 
constraints,  nor  that  always  "  the  thought  lords  it 
over  the  form,"  even  in  the  smallest  members. 
Our  theory  does  not  assert  that  parallelism  always 
or  even  generally  goes  through  all  members,  but 
only  that  it  is  the  principle  of  that  poetic  form 
which  the  Hebrew  poet,  more  or  less  consciously, 
has  constantly  in  mind,  and  according  to  which 
his  phrases,  lines,  stanzas,  strophes,  and  wider  di- 
visions tend  to  shape  themselves  whenever  thereby 
the  sentiment  finds  easy  and  happy  expression.  It 
may  also  be  affirmed  that  extended  parallelisms 
occur  very  frequently,  and  that  an  attentive  con- 
sideration of  passages  in  the  original  tongue,  or  in 
accurately  literal  translation,  often  reveals  them  in 
a  clearness  and  beauty  that  is  both  delightful  and 
surprising. 

§  8.  In  order  to  a  fuller  illustration  of  the  pre- 
ceding   statements,    we    propose    now    to  cite    in 


STANZAS  285 

full  Psalm  xcv.,  with  comments  on  these  and 
other  points  as  they  present  themselves.  It  is  one 
of  the  Orphan  Psalms,  but  is  ascribed  to  David 
in  the  LXX.  It  is  quoted  in  Hebrews  iii.  7-11, 
and  iv.  3—7.  In  the  latter  place  the  words  are  said 
to  be  "  in  David;"  but  this  probably  only  locates 
them  in  the  Psalter,  so  largely  the  work  of  David 
as,  a  fortiori,  to  go  by  his  name.  The  psalm  was 
probably  composed  in  a  later  age,  as  an  anthem 
to  be  used  in  the  temple  service.  It  is  very  famil- 
iar, being  a  favorite  with  all  Bible  readers;  and 
from  its  prominent  sentiment  is  very  appropriately 
called  the  Invitatory  Psalm : 

i 

O  come,  let  us  sing  unto  the  LORD, 
Let  us  make  a  joyful  noise  to  the  rock  of  our  salvation  ; 
Let  us  come  before  his  presence  with  thanksgiving, 
And  make  a  joyful  noise  unto  him  with  psalms. 

ii 

For  the  LORD  is  a  great  God, 
And  a  great  King  above  all  gods. 
In  his  hand  are  the  deep  places  of  the  earth, 
The  strength  of  the  hills  is,his  also. 
The  sea  is  his,  and  he  made  it, 
And  his  hands  formed  the  dry  land. 

NOTES. — Strophe  /.  Come  before,  rather,  anticipate — «'.  e.,  go 
forth  to  meet  him. 

Strophe  2.  Gods,  of  the  heathen. — deep  places,  valleys,  caves. 


286  / UDA  'S  JE  WELS 

III 

O  come,  let  us  worship  and  bow  down, 
Let  us  kneel  before  the  LORD  our  maker. 

IV 

For  he  is  our  God, 

And  we  are  the  people  of  his  pasture, 

And  the  sheep  of  his  hand. 

v 
To-day,  if  ye  will  hear  his  voice, — 

VI 

Harden  not  your  heart,  as  at  Meribah, 

As  in  the  day  of  Massah  in  the  wilderness ; 

When  your  fathers  tempted  me, 

Proved  me,  and  saw  my  work. 

Forty  years  long  was  I  grieved  with  that  generation, 

And  said :   It  is  a  people  that  do  err  in  their  heart, 

And  they  have  not  known  my  ways ; 

Wherefore  I  sware  in  my  wrath, 

That  they  should  not  enter  into  my  rest. 


— strength,  rather,  heights,  summits;  LXX.,  rd  {njtrj;  Vulgate, 
altitudines  montium. 

Strophe  3.  Worship,  prostrate  ourselves  to  the  earth. — bow 
down;  the  LXX.  has  ivcep. — our  maker;  not  our  Creator,  but 
our  Constitutor — i.  e.,  he  that  chose  us  out  of  all  peoples  and 
made  us  his  own;  so  also  in  Psalm  c.  3,  and  Psalm  cxlix.  2. 

Strophe  4.  Cur  God,  the  covenant  God,  in  opposition  to  the 
gods  of  the  heathen. — hand,  guiding  and  protecting. 

Strophe  5 ,  See  remarks  following  the  psalm. 

Strophe  6.  Meribah;  Authorized  Version  translates provoca- 


STANZAS  287 

We  observe  that  in  strophe  i  the  first  distich  is 
parallel  to  the  second,  and  so  close  is  the  corre- 
spondence that  at  first  glance  the  four  lines  seem 
indiscriminately  parallel.  In  strophe  2,  the  sec- 
ond and  third  distichs  are  parallel,  and  exhibit  an 
approach  to  the  introverted  form. 

Again,  strophe  i  is  parallel  to  strophe  3,  though 
double  in  length.  Strophe  2  is  parallel  to  strophe 
4,  and  also  double  in  length,  the  first  distich  of  2 
corresponding  with  the  first  stich  of  4,  and  the  re- 
maining double  distich  of  2  corresponding  with 
the  remaining  single  distich  of  4. 

Moreover,  there  is  evidently  both  a  structural 
and  a  logical  parallelism  between  these  parts  of  the 
psalm.  Structurally,  the  first  part  (strophes  i  and 
2)  is  double  the  length  of  the  second  (strophes  3 
and  4).  Logically,  the  first,  the  Tehillah,  is  an 
invitation  to  praise,  with  a  reason  and  its  ground 
added;  the  second,  the  Tephillah,  is  an  invitation 
to  prayer,  with  a  reason  and  its  ground  added. 
Some  poetic  reason,  perhaps,  may  be  given  why 
the  second  part  is  but  half  the  first;  or,  per- 


lion. — Massah;  Authorized  Version  translates  temptation.  (See 
Exodus  xvii.  7.) — proved,  tried. — work,  retributions. — that:  the 
LXX.  has  that;  adopted  in  Revised  Version. — sware,  the  oath 
of  God.  (See  Numbers  xiv.  23.) — rest:  There  remaineth  there- 
fore a  rest  to  the  people  of  God.  (Hebrews  iv.  9.) 


288  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

haps,  one  more  grave,  founded  on  the  difference 
of  subject. 

So  far  all  is  clear  and  unquestionable ;  but  when 
we  look  at  the  remainder  of  the  psalm,  our  princi- 
ple of  parallelism  disappears.  In  this  instance  let 
us  try  to  find  poetic  reasons  to  justify  the  poet  in 
abandoning  it;  if  we  fail,  there  is  at  least  an  il- 
lustration of  that  freedom  and  independence  of 
all  prosodial  law  which  is  native  to  the  Hebrew 
bards. 

What  we  have  for  convenience  marked  as  stro- 
phe 5  is  a  line  standing  alone,  an  unfinished  sen- 
tence, a  protasis  without  an  apodosis.  It  may  be 
considered  an  example  of  aposiopesis,  similar  to 
that  already  commented  on  in  Psalm  xxvii.,  stro- 
phe 10  (page  101).  If  so,  then,  as  in  a  logical 
enthymeme,  the  ellipsis  is  to  be  supplied  mentally, 
perhaps  in  substance  thus:  Ye  shall  be  blessed. 
Or  this  line  may  be  understood  as  continuing  the 
reason  for  prayer  (strophe  4),  and  that  the  stream 
of  exhortation  is  then  interrupted  by  the  Oracle  or 
Bath  £<?/(  daughter  of  voice).  The  proposed  prayer 
God  answers  before  the  invitation  is  finished,  re- 
sponding so  immediately  to  the  heart  movement 
that  the  expression  of  the  prayer  is  anticipated. 
Or,  lastly,  the  elision  of  the  apodosis  may  be 
taken  as  equivalent  to  an  optative  sentence,  which 


STANZAS  289 

is  syntatically  admissible,  and  adopted  in  the 
Revised  Version,  thus:  "  O  that  to-day  ye  would 
hear  his  voice." 

The  sixth  strophe  is  the  oracular  Bath  kol.  The 
two  initial  letters  of  each  distich  are,  in  the  He- 
brew, the  same.  Still  there  is  here  only  synthetic 
parallelism  between  the  lines,  and  none  whatever 
with  the  other  strophes  or  parts  of  the  psalm. 
Now,  can  this  be  so  explained  that  we  may  still 
hold  our  theory  that  parallelism  is  a  thorough- 
going principle  of  Hebrew  poetry? 

The  plain,  prosaic  character  of  this  Oracle  is 
certainly  striking.  We  are  surprised  at*the  sud- 
den change  from  the  highly  poetic  diction  and 
artistic  finish  of  the  previous  portion,  at  the  pre- 
cipitous movement  from  a  passage  so  exquisitely 
cheerful,  earnest,  and  graceful,  into  this  solid, 
grave,  prosaic  mass  at  the  close.  It  almost  seems 
to  be  a  poetic  failure.  But  when  we  remember 
that  this  portion  is  the  voice  of  God,  it  is  hardly 
credible  that  a  poet  capable  of  writing  the  first 
portion  would  fail  to  rise  with  the  subject.  The 
change  is  certainly  precipitous,  but  is  it  down- 
ward? 

In  an  entirely  different  connection  Coleridge 
makes  the  following  remark:  "  It  has  struck  my 

feelings   that,  the   Pherecydean   origin   of  prose 
19 


2pO  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

being  granted,  prose  must  have  struck  men  with 
greater  admiration  than  poetry.  In  the  latter  it  was 
the  language  of  passion  and  emotion ;  it  was  what 
they  themselves  spoke  and  heard  in  moments  of 
exultation  and  indignation.  But  to  hear  an  evolv- 
ing roll  or  succession  of  leaves  talk  continuously 
in  the  language  of  deliberate  reason,  in  the  form 
of  a  continued  preconception,  this  must  have  ap- 
peared Godlike." 

Whether  or  not  prose  naturally  produces  this 
impression,  it  certainly  is  within  its  compass  to 
express  certain  phases  of  thought  far  more  im- 
pressively than  can  be  done  by  poetry.  Observe 
that  the  sleep-walking  scene  in  Macbeth ,  which 
is  more  intensely  tragic  than  any  other  even  in 
Shakespeare,  is  all,  except  the  closing  speech, 
written  in  prose.  The  diction  is  of  the  very  plain- 
est and  simplest  texture.  Yet  what  a  fearfully  sub- 
lime impression  of  retribution  it  carries !  The 
matter  is  too  austere  to  admit  of  anything  so  ar- 
tificial as  the  measured  language  of  verse,  even 
though  that  verse  were  Shakespeare's.  An  in- 
stinct of  genius  taught  him  that  any  attempt  to 
heighten  the  effect  by  such  arts  and  by  the  charm 
of  delivery  would  unbrace  and  impair  it.  The 
change  to  a  metrical  movement  in  the  closing 
speech  must  be  felt  by  every  competent  reader  as 


STANZAS  291 

a   letting   down   to  a   lower  intellectual   plane,  a 
movement  toward  common  everyday  life. 

If  Milton's  majesty  forsakes  him  anywhere  in 
the  Paradise  Lost,  it  is  in  those  parts  of  the  poem 
where  the  divine  persons  are  introduced  as  speak- 
ers. It  is  agreeable  to  our  taste  for  Eve  to  talk 
blank  verse,  and  even  for  Raphael,  but  when  the 
Almighty  Father  is  represented  as  declaring  his 
eternal  purposes  in  metrical  cadences,  we  are 
shocked.  For  this  reason,  perhaps,  Book  III.  is 
generally  regarded  as  inferior  in  poetic  merit. 

Again,  there  are  many  parts  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment which  would  be  impaired  by  appearing  in 
poetic  forms.  Yet  it  is  only  concerning  matter  of 
the  most  exalted  character  that  this  can  be  said; 
for  that  which  is  but  one  grade  below  the  highest 
extreme  of  dignity  is  well  suited  to  poetic  forms 
and  diction.  The  dedicatory  prayer  of  Solomon 
is  essentially,  though  irregularly,  poetical  in  form; 
could  our  Lord's  intercessory  prayer  in  the  latter 
part  of  John's  gospel  admit,  without  fearful  loss, 
of  similar  form?  The  almost  historical  prophecy, 
Isaiah,  ch.  liii.,  the  Great  Passional,  is  one  of  the 
noblest  of  poems,  and  perhaps  of  all  the  most  pro- 
foundly pathetic.  Would  not  the  plain  story  of 
the  Passion,  as  told  by  the  evangelists,  be  greatly 
marred  if  reduced  to  the  same  mode  of  expres-» 


292  JUDA  VS  JB  WELS 

sion?  There  is  some  matter  of  thought  too  ma- 
jestic, too  severely  grand  for  poetic  forms. 

So  it  is  in  our  psalm.  Instead  of  descending, 
it  rises  at  once  to  the  highest  height  of  majesty. 
In  such  ethereal  regions  the  wings  of  poesy  best 
serve,  like  those  of  the  cherubim,  to  cover  the 
eyes.  Hence  the  garb  of  plain,  simple  words, 
culminating  in  that  dread  mystery,  the  oath  of 
God.  The  effect,  on  one  who  can  receive  it,  is 
powerful,  massive.  We  said  the  change  of  style 
is  precipitous.  So  it  ought  to  be,  rising  squarely 
to  a  dizzy,  immeasurable  height.  The  beauties 
of  the  first  parts  are  as  flowers  growing  at  the  foot 
of  a  mountain  of  rock. 

If  these  views  are  allowed  weight,  they  justify 
on  rhetorical  grounds  the  disregard  of  the  law  of 
parallelism  in  the  closing  part  of  this  psalm,  which 
fact,  therefore,  does  not  invalidate  the  theory. 

§  9.  In  further  illustration  of  the  subject,  we 
will  now  examine  Psalm  ii.  It  is  one  of  the  most  in- 
teresting in  the  Psalter,  and  consequently  has  been 
very  carefully  studied  and  commented  on  by  bib- 
lical scholars.  They  generally  pronounce  it  wholly 
irregular  in  form.  But  let  us  suspend  our  judg- 
ment until  we  have  entered  into  its  spirit,  and  dis- 
cerned its  successive  scenes. 


STANZAS  293 

The  psalmist  here  is  not  merely  a  poet,  nor  yet 
merely  a  prophet;  he  is  a  seer.  He  describes 
what  passes  before  his  eyes  in  vision,  and  his 
psalm  is  a  mirror  of  what  he  sees,  and  an  echo  of 
what  he  hears.  So  sharp  is  the  representation 
that  it  assumes  almost  a  dramatic  tone.  From 
some  celestial  height  the  seer  looks  abroad  over 
the  earth  and  beholds  the  nations  in  wild  tumult, 
preparing  to  resist  the  rule  of  God's  Messiah  (stro- 
phe i).  Their  kings  and  princes  have  assembled, 
and  he  hears  their  consultation  against  the  new 
and  supreme  kingdom  (strophe  2).  His  eye  now 
turns  to  the  open  heavens,  and  he  sees  Jehovah  on 
his  throne,  laughing  with  scorn,  and  poising  his 
thunderbolt;  and  he  hears  him  declare  his  unal- 
terable will  (strophe  3).  Behold!  Messiah  the 
Son  intervenes,  and  announces  the  decree  of  Je- 
hovah, committing  to  him  universal  empire,  and 
fixing  the  doom  of  his  enemies  (strophe  4).  The 
seer  now  turns  again,  and  addresses  the  refrac- 
tory kings,  counseling  wisdom  and  submission 
and  homage,  in  view  of  the  invincible  might  ar- 
rayed against  them.  Finally,  he  announces  the 
blessedness  of  all  who  give  in  their  allegiance  to 
the  kingdom  of  Messiah  (strophe  5). 

Let  us  endeavor  to  see  with  his  eyes,  to  hear 
with  his  ears.  Behold  the  turmoil  of  the  nations: 


294  JUDA  '5  JB  WELS 


Why  do  the  nations  rage, 

And  the  peoples  meditate  a  vain  thing  ? 

n 

The  kings  of  the  earth  set  themselves, 

And  the  rulers  take  counsel  together, 

Against  Jehovah, 

And  against  his  Anointed  : 

Let  us  break  their  bands  asunder, 
And  cast  away  their  cords  from  us. 


NOTES. — Strophe  i.  Rage,  indicating  speedy  rebellion. — peo- 
ples, meaning,  perhaps,  those  of  Israel,  combining  with  the 
heathen  nations. — meditate,  intend. — a  vain  thing,  that  which 
is  naught,  and  will  prove  naught.  "We  will  not  have  this  man 
to  rule  over  us"  (Luke  xix.  14);  "We  have  no  king  but  Caesar" 
(John  xix.  15). 

Strophe  2,  Set  themselves,  in  a  posture  of  defiance,  as  did 
Herod  the  Great.  (Matthew  ii.) — rulers:  this  was  literally  ful- 
filled in  the  persons  of  Herod  Antipas,  the  Tetrarcn,  and  of 
Pilate;  the  one  representing  the  effete  monarchy  of  the  people 
of  Israel,  and  the  other  the  imperial  power  of  Rome,  mis- 
tress of  the  heathen  world.  (See  Acts  iv.  25-28.) — his  Anoint- 
ed, his  Messiah,  his  Christ.  The  word  Anointed  Is  retained 
here  so  as  not  to  lose  sight  of  its  primary  historic  reference  to 
an  early  king  of  Israel. — bands  and  cords,  figures  from  yoked 
bulls,  furious  to  cast  off  the  yoke.  A  case  of  onomatopoeia; 
the  sound  of  the  words  in  the  Hebrew  and  the  rhythm  express 
finely  the  precipitancy  and  rage  of  the  speakers. 


STANZAS  295 

in 

He  that  sitteth  in  the  heavens  shall  laugh, 
The  Lord  shall  have  them  in  derision. 
Then  shall  he  speak  unto  them  in  his  wrath, 
And  vex  them  in  his  sore  displeasure  : 

Yet  have  I  set  my  King 

Upon  my  holy  hill  of  Zion. 


Strophe  j.  The  futures  in  this  strophe  are  imperfects  in  the 
Hebrew.  Many  Hebraists  agree  that  those  of  the  first  distich 
should  be  rendered  by  the  present,  thus: 

He  that  sitteth  in  the  heavens  laughs, 
The  Lord  holds  them  in  derision. 

The  others  are  properly  rendered  by  the  future.  The  laugh- 
ter here  is  either  in  scorn  (</.  Psalm  xxxvii.  13,  and  Proverbs 
i.  26),  or  expressive  of  conscious  security  and  superiority. 
The  quiet  laughing  passes  over,  through  derision,  to  the  agita- 
tion of  wrath,  breaking  out  in  words  and  acts.  This  is  one  of 
the  boldest  passages  in  all  poetic  literature. — Then  shall  he 
speak;  i.e.,  presently  in  vengeance.  This  distich  is  another 
case  of  onomatopoeia.  Herder  calls  attention  to  the  roll  and 
whiz  of  the  words  in  the  Hebrew.  The  first  line  reminds  us  of 
thunder,  and  the  syllabication  of  the  second  might  be  called 
zigzag. — Yet  have  I,  the  words  of  Jehovah  in  almost  plain 
prose.  /  is  emphatic  in  the  Hebrew.  The  condensed  power 
of  the  words  of  these  strophes,  and  their  vivid  presentation  of  a 
majestic  scene,  are  wonderfully  sublime,  and,  by  comparison, 
reduce  the  best  passages  of  Homer,  Pindar,  and  Milton  to  in- 
significance. They  are  only  paralleled  by  these  words: 

The  nations  raged, 

The  kingdoms  were  moved; 

He  uttered  his  voice, 

The  earth  melted.     (Psalm  xlvi.  6.) 


296  JUDA  VS  JE  WELS 

IV 

I  will  tell  of  the  decree, 
Jehovah  said  unto  me  : 

Thou  art  my  Son ; 

This  day  have  I  begotten  thee. 

Ask  of  me, 
And  I  will  give  thee 
The  nations  for  thine  inheritance, 
And  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  for  thy 

[possession. 

Thou  shalt  break  them  with  a  rod  of  iron ; 

Thou  shalt  dash  them  in  pieces  like  a  potter's  vessel. 


Strophe  4.  Messiah  now  appears,  almost  dramatically,  and 
speaks. — the  decree,  eternal  and  immutable  of  Jehovah,  by 
which  I  shall  reign. — Thou  art  my  Son.  These  words  are 
cited  in  Acts  xiii.  33,  and  Hebrews  i.  5,  to  prove  the  solemn 
recognition  of  Christ's  sonship  by  God  himself,  and  his  conse- 
quent authority. — Ask  of  me.  God  requires  to  be  asked,  even 
of  his  Son.  The  swell  of  expression  in  this  stanza  is  very  fine. 
— break,  rather,  rule. — rod  of  iron,  a  scepter,  stern  and  inflexi- 
ble. (See  Isaiah  xi.  4;  Revelation  xix.  15.) — potter's  vessel, 
a  thing  easily  cast  down  from  the  hands  and  broken,  and  that 
cannot  be  made  whole  again.  (See  Jeremiah  xix.  10,  n.) 

Strophe  5.  The  Seer  now  speaks,  in  a  sarcastic  tone,  with 
"divine  irony,"  admonishing  the  refractory  kings. — Serve,  etc. 
"Work  out  your  own  salvation  with  fear  and  trembling." 
(Philippians  ii.  12.) — Kiss,  not  in  flattery,  nor  in  conciliation, 
but  in  homage.  (Cf.  i  Samuel  x.  i.)  Kiss  his  hand,  or  the 
hem  of  his  garment,  or  his  feet. — in  the  way,  in  your  course  of 
resistance. — wrath,  of  the  Lamb.  (Revelation  vi.  15,  16.) 


STANZAS  297 

v 

Be  wise  now  therefore,  O  ye  kings ; 
Be  instructed,  ye  judges  of  the  earth. 

Serve  Jehovah  with  fear, 

And  rejoice  with  trembling. 

Kiss  the  Son, 

Lest  he  be  angry, 

And  ye  perish  in  the  way, 

For  his  wrath  will  soon  be  kindled. 

Blessed  are  all  they  that  put  their  trust  in  him. 

This  psalm  is  anonymous,  but  Psalm  ex.,  to 
which  it  closely  corresponds,  is  ascribed  to  David, 
and  hence  some  critics  have  inferred  his  author- 
ship of  this  also.  The  reference  in  Acts  iv.  25 
is  not  decisive,  according  to  the  German  critics, 
"because  in  the  New  Testament  David's  Psalm 
and  Psalm  are  synonymous."  (Delitzsch.}  Ewald, 
followed  by  Stanley,  assigns  it,  "  by  internal  evi- 
dence," to  David  as  author,  and  to  the  time  of 
the  conspiracy  of  Adonijah.  Primarily,  though 
subordinately,  the  psalm  has  plainly  an  historic 
reference,  which  may  be  to  the  establishment  of 
Solomon's  kingdom.  But  in  a  far  deeper  and  wid- 
er sense,  it  relates  to  the  Christ,  the  Messiah,  the 
Anointed  One,  about  to  enter  triumphantly  upon 
his  kingdom.  It  is  repeatedly  referred  to  in  the 
New  Testament  as  Messianic.  All  the  early  Jews 
regard  it  as  prophetic  and  Messianic.  Only  in 
their  opposition  to  Christianity  have  modern  Rab- 
bis abandoned  and  finally  denied  this  interpreta- 
tion, and  limited  its  application  to  David.  But  the 
words  of  the  psalm  are  too  great,  its  tone  is  too 


298  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

lofty.  The  proclamation  of  the  decree  made  by 
Messiah  in  strophe  4  would,  in  the  mouth  of  any 
man,  be  grossly  impious. 

Let  us  examine  the  formal  structure.  It  is 
plainly  very  symmetrical,  almost  perfectly  regular. 
After  the  interrogative  expression  of  astonishment 
(strophe  i),  which  is  the  introductory  ground  for 
the  subsequent  action,  the  psalm  divides  into  two 
nearly  equal  parts.  These  parts,  2,  3  and  4,  5>  differ 
in  form,  but  in  each  the  form  is  repeated.  If  we 
look  into  the  sense,  we  see  that  strophes  2  and  3 
are  a  thesis  and  antithesis,  a  strophe  and  anti- 
strophe.  This  is  true  also,  though  less  clearly, 
of  strophes  4  and  5.  The  subordinate  parts  of 
strophe  2  are  in  close  correspondence  with  those 
of  3,  or,  rather,  are  antithetically  parallel,  distich 
answering  to  distich  throughout;  for  example,  the 
words  of  Jehovah  are  in  response  to  those  of  the 
kings  and  rulers.  The  parallelism  between  stro- 
phes 4  and  5  is  not  so  perfect,  but  is  sufficiently 
clear.  Compare  the  stanzas  beginning  "Ask  of 
me"  and  "  Kiss  the  Son."  Calvin  has  remarked 
that  the  closing  monostich  relieves  the  severity  of 
the  preceding  distich.  True,  but  structurally  it 
stands  as  the  antithesis  to  the  last  distich  of  stro- 
phe 4. 

We  now  especially  remark  an  introverted  or 
epanodic  logical  structure  of  the  whole.  The 
psalm  begins  with  the  words  of  the  Seer,  bringing 
into  view  first  the  people,  and  then  the  kings. 
Then  we  have  the  words  of  the  kings.  Then, 
still  rising,  Jehovah  speaks.  Now,  having  reached 
the  conclusion  of  the  first  part,  the  middle  of  the 
poem,  the  series  is  repeated,  but  in  inverted  or- 
der. First,  corresponding  to  Jehovah,  Messiah 
speaks.  Then,  descending  to  earth,  the  kings 
again  come  into  view,  in  the  admonition  of  the 


STANZAS  299 

Seer,  whose  last  words,  like  his  first,  apply  to  all 
men.  Is  this  complete  vertical  circle  accidentally 
drawn?  Looking  more  closely,  we  see  in  strophe 
5  that  the  exhortation  to  do  homage  to  the  Son  is 
in  responsive  contrast  with  the  rebellious  counsel 
of  strophe  2;  and  the  words  of  the  stanza,  "  Be 
wise  now  therefore,"  etc.,  reply  to  the  words  of  the 
kings  in  strophe  2.  Also  compare  strophes  3  and 
4,  and  observe  that  the  first  distich  of  3  is  logically 
correspondent  with  the  last  in  4;  and  the  last  dis- 
tich in  3  with  the  first  two  in  4.  If  this  duplex 
system  of  parallelism  be  admitted  to  exist  in  this 
psalm,  surely  its  artistic  structure  is  almost  as  won- 
derful as  its  rhetorical  excellence. 


VIII.-LYRICS 

§i.  THE  Bible  is  not  properly  a  book;  it  is  a 
library.  The  Old  Testament  comprises  all  the 
extant  works  of  the  Hebrews  from  the  earliest  age 
down  to  about  400  B.C.,  a  period  of  more  than  ten 
centuries.  It  is  a  collection  of  all  the  early  liter- 
ature of  a  wonderful  people,  who  have  surpassed 
even  the  Greeks  in  their  influence  on  the  history 
and  development  of  mankind. 

Now,  is  it  a  mere  fancy  that  each  literature  has 
some  peculiar  distinctive  mark?  Is  there  not  in 
every  national  mind  one  dominating  thought  whose 
influence  pervades,  often  it  may  be  sub  audite,  all 
its  literature?  Is  not  this  fundamental  character- 
istic in  Greek  literature,  heroism?  in  the  Roman, 
power?  in  the  German,  liberty  of  thought?  in  the 
English,  liberty  of  person?  In  the  late  literatures 
there  is,  of  course,  much  that  is  derived  from  the 
earlier.  Each,  besides  its  own  dominant  charac- 
teristic, is  pervaded  more  or  less  by  the  thoughts 
of  those  preceding  it;  and  in  searching  for  that 
which  is  distinctively  its  own,  this  foreign  element 

must   be  eliminated.     But  it  may  be  questioned 
(300) 


L  TRIGS  301 

whether  any  literature  can  be  entitled  to  an  in- 
dependent rank  that  has  not  within  itself  an  origi- 
nal, informing  element,  one  that  constitutes  a  new 
point  of  departure  for  thinking  and  feeling. 

Whatever  may  be  true  of  other  literatures,  there 
can  be  no  question  that  one  thought  dominates  the 
Hebrew  literature,  becoming  especially  prominent 
in  its  poetry.  It  is  more  easily  discriminated  be- 
cause there  is  no  foreign  admixture,  no  influence 
coming  from  prior  antiquity.  This  thought  is, 
Jehovah  and  his  Messiah.  There  are  other,  sub- 
ordinate characteristics  which  embellish  Hebrew 
poetry;  as,  its  passion,  its  love  of  nature,  its  aus- 
tere dignity,  its  rich  and  bold  imagery,  its  intense 
patriotism.  Since  these  are  shared  more  or  less 
by  other  literatures,  they  become  distinctive  only 
by  degree;  whereas,  the  thought  of  Jehovah  and 
his  Messiah  is  peculiar,  and  separates  this  from 
and  elevates  it  above  all  others.  The  psalms  are 
all  aglow  with  it.  Jehovah  is  boldly  apostrophized 
as  their  inmate: 

But  them  art  holy, 

O  them  that  inhabitest  the  praises  of  Israel. 

(Psalm  xxii.  3.) 

Thus   this    thought  is  woven   into  the  innermost 
texture  of  every  psalm,  and  imparts  its  hue   to 


302  JUDA  '5  JE  WELS 

every  sentiment.  Although  so  obvious,  it  needs  to 
be  discriminated  and  named  here;  for  in  the  dis- 
cussion that  follows,  we  propose  to  point  out  and 
illustrate  certain  other  characteristics,  which  must 
be  recognized  as  subordinate  to  the  one  constant 
and  all-pervading  element. 

§2.  Poetry  is  commonly  divided  into  lyric,  di- 
dactic, dramatic,  and  epic.  These  divisions  are 
not  rigidly  exclusive  of  each  other,  and  are  other- 
wise logically  objectionable,  but  they  are  familiar, 
and  suited  to  our  present  purpose.  In  Hebrew 
poetry  the  chief  forms  are  the  lyric  and  didactic. 
Indeed,  the  existence  of  the  other  two  has  been 
denied  by  many  eminent  authorities.  Says  Pe- 
rowne:  "The  Hebrews  have  no  epic  and  no 
drama.  Dramatic  elements  are  to  be  found  in 
many  of  their  odes,  and  the  Book  of  Job  and  the 
Song  of  Songs  have  sometimes  been  called  divine 
dramas;  but  dramatic  poetry,  in  the  proper  sense 
of  the  term,  was  altogether  unknown  to  the  Israel- 
ites." Renan  attributes  the  absence  of  the  drama 
to  the  absence  of  mythology,  and  Schaff  attrib- 
utes the  absence  of  the  epic  to  the  same  cause. 
The  revealed  religion  excludes  mythology  and 
hero-worship,  which  control  the  epic,  and  substi- 
tutes for  them  monotheism,  which  is  inconsistent 


LTRICS  3°3 

with  any  kind  of  fiction  or  idolatry.  It  is  admit- 
ted that  there  are  epic  elements  in  several  lyric 
poems,  as  in  the  Songs  of  Moses,  in  the  Song  of 
Deborah,  and  in  several  of  the  historic  psalms;  but 
even  here  the  lyric  features  predominate,  for  the 
subjectivity  of  the  poet  is  not  lost  in  the  objective 
event,  as  is  the  case  in  the  genuine  epos.  Leav- 
ing the  further  consideration  of  this  question,  we 
will  confine  our  attention  to  the  first  form,  the 
lyric. 

The  ode,  or  lyric,  is  the  poetry  of  song  and  the 
lyre.  From  this  original  union  with  music  we  are 
to  deduce  its  proper  idea.  Lyric  poetry  is  emi- 
nently the  language  of  feeling.  *'  It  wells  up  from 
the  human  heart,  and  gives  utterance  to  its  many 
stormy  and  tender  emotions  of  love  and  friend- 
ship, of  joy  and  gladness,  of  grief  and  sorrow,  of 
hope  and  desire,  of  gratitude  and  praise."  Tt  is 
not  distinguished  from  other  kinds  by  the  matter 
on  which  it  is  employed,  it  only  subjects  it  to  pe- 
culiar sentimental  treatment.  Music  and  song  are 
naturally  warm.  They  justify  a  bolder  and  more 
passionate  strain  than  is  admissible  in  a  mere  reci- 
tation. Hence  the  enthusiasm  that  belongs  to  the 
ode,  and  its  liberty;  the  digressions,  the  abrupt 
transitions,  and  the  disorder  which  it  admits. 
These  characteristics  lie  on  the  surface;  beneath 


304  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

these  is  a  substratum  of  thought  which  preserves 
unity,  and  which  justifies  its  excursive  passion. 
A  mere  imitator  feels  himself  bound  to  appear  all 
fervor.  He  flames  away,  gets  up  into  the  clouds, 
and  becomes  so  eccentric  that  we  cannot  follow  or 
partake  of  his  raptures.  A  true  poet,  amid  his 
bold  flights  and  sudden  alternations  of  feeling, 
keeps  rein  upon  his  fancy,  and  preserves  a  logic- 
al connection  of  ideas,  so  that  with  all  his  ardor 
he  is  clearly  one  who  thinks,  and  not  one  who 
raves. 

Pindar  is  called  the  "father  of  lyric  poetry;" 
but  five  centuries  before  Pindar  sang,  lyric  poetry 
attained  among  a  despised  people  an  excellence 
to  which  the  boasted  Greek  did  not  rise.  Milton, 
severe  in  his  classical  taste,  says:  "  There  are  no 
sones  comparable  to  the  songs  of  Zion.  Not  in 
trieir  divine  arguments  alone,  but  in  the  very  crit- 
ical art  of  composition  they  may  be  easily  made  to 
appear  over  all  kinds  of  lyric  poesy  incompar- 
able." We  claim  for  Israel's  king  the  title  of 
preeminence.  A  prelude  was  sounded  by  Moses 
and  Deborah,  but  with  David's  lyre  the  voice  of 
song  attuned  its  most  dulcet  notes,  and  after  him 
we  have,  in  Israel,  only  echoes  growing  fainter. 
When  they  had  ceased,  then  Pindar  sang  the  he- 
roes and  hero-gods  of  Greece  in  original  and  no- 


L  TRIGS  305 

ble  song,  and  his  influence  has  flowed  down  the 
centuries,  informing  the  best  secular  lyrics  of  sub- 
sequent ages.  But  the  anthems  of  Israel  are 
flooding  the  world.  The  Christian  Church  has 
caught  up  the  strains,  and,  whatever  deviations  its 
doctrines  have  shown,  its  songs  are  one.  Abys- 
sinians,  Nestorians,  Greeks,  Latins,  Lutherans,  An- 
glicans, and  Independents  all  use  the  Psalter,  and 
unite  in  harmonious  devotion.  How  many  millions 
of  all  nations  are  at  this  day  singing  these  songs 
and  offering  these  prayers,  and  how  is  their  influ- 
ence deepening  and  widening  as  the  ages  roll  on  I 

§3.  .The  earliest  lyric  extant  is  Lamech's  Sword 
Song,  coming  to  us  through  the  Hebrew  Scrip- 
tures from  the  antediluvian  age.  Other  poetic 
remains  of  the  pre-Mosaic  age  are  the  Prediction 
of  Noah,1  and  the  Death  Chant  of  Jacob.2  These 
are  prophetic. 

Moses,  the  leader  and  lawgiver,  was  also  a  poet 
of  the  highest  genius.  His  Song  of  Deliverance 
from  Pharaoh  and  his  host  overthrown  in  the  Red 
Sea  is  the  oldest  patriotic  ode  in  existence.3  It 
might  be  called  the  Cradle  Song  of  Israel,  or,  bet- 
ter, its  National  Anthem.  It  sounds  through  all 

'Genesis  ix.  25-27.        *Idem.  xlix.  1-27.          Exodus  xv.  1-19. 
20 


306  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

the  thanksgiving  hymns  of  Israel,  and  is  asso- 
ciated by  the  Apocalyptic  Seer  with  the  final  tri- 
umph of  the  Church,  when  the  saints  shall  sing  the 
song  of  Moses  and  the  song  of  the  Lamb.1  The 
style  is  simple,  archaic  and  grand.  The  arrange- 
ment is  antiphonal,  chorus  answering  to  chorus, 
the  maidens  playing  the  timbrels.  We  have  also 
Moses's  song  celebrating  Jehovah's  wonderful 
dealings  with  Israel,  called  the  Song  of  the  Rock, 
from  the  frequent  use  of  that  figure.2  "  That  this 
splendid  ode  must  on  every  ground  take  the  very 
first  rank  in  Hebrew  poetry,  is  universally  al- 
lowed." (Sc/idj/f.)  The  parting  Blessing  of  Mo- 
ses on  the  twelve  tribes  is  lyrical  in  form,  but  pro- 
phetic in  character.3 

A  fourth  ode  of  Moses,  which  concludes  all  that 
remains  to  us  of  his  poetry,  unless  he  be  the  au- 
thor of  Job,  is  Psalm  xc.  "  This  psalm  sums  up 
the  spiritual  experience  of  his  long  pilgrimage  in 
the  wilderness,  and  proves  its  undying  force  at 
every  deathbed  and  funeral  service."  It  is  a  sol- 
emn and  sublime  dirge  over  the  transitoriness  of 
human  life,  and  was  written  probably  in  the  midst 
of  the  desert  of  Paran.  Here  was  the  grave  of 
a  generation  of  wanderers;  for  God  had  said:  As 
truly  as  I  live,  your  carcasses  shall  fall  in  this  wil- 

i Revelation  xv.  3.         "Deuteronomy  xxxii.        zldem.  xxxiii. 


L  TRIGS  307 

derness.  I,  the  Lord,  have  said,  I  will  surely  do 
it  unto  all  this  evil  generation  that  are  gathered 
together  against  me ;  in  this  wilderness  they  shall 
be  consumed,  and  there  they  shall  die.1  And 
Moses  beheld  the  term  of  life  of  his  brethren,  of 
the  people  that  he  led  and  loved,  reduced  to  three- 
score years  and  ten,  or  to  fourscore  years.  A 
melancholy  experience  was  that  of  the  thirty-eight 
long  years  of  wandering  and  dying  in  silence,  for 
there  is  no  record  of  these  years.  At  the  close  of 
this  dark  age,  Moses,  understanding  the  number 
of  years  whereof  the  Lord  spake  that  he  would 
accomplish  the  desolation  of  Israel,  set  his  face  to 
seek  by  the  prayer  and  supplication  found  in  this 
psalm  that  God  would  turn  from  his  wrath  and 
spare  his  people.  The  prayer,  in  spirit  and 
ground,  is  exactly  parallel  to  that  of  Daniel, 
asking  the  fulfillment  of  a  known  purpose.  With 
him  it  cries:  O  Lord,  hear;  O  Lord,  forgive;  O 
Lord,  hearken  and  do;  defer  not,  for  thine  own 
sake,  O  my  God;  for  thy  people  are  called  by  thy 
name.2 

We  will  fail  to  appreciate  the  majestic  dignity, 
the  intense  sadness,  the  sublime  power  of  this 
grand  composition  if  we  lose  sight  of  the  circum- 
stances. Let  us  conceive  that  shortly  before  the 

i  Numbers  xiv.  28,  29,  35.  2 Daniel  ix.  19. 


308  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

final  march  from  Kadesh  down  the  Arabah,  Moses 
retires  alone  from  the  camp  to  a  distant,  rocky 
height,  and  standing  thereon,  overlooks  the  scene. 
The  multitudes  of  the  living  generation  of  sons 
cover  the  plain  before  him  like  grass  springing  in 
the  morning  dew.  In  the  midst  is  the  tabernacle 
and  the  pillar  of  cloud.  All  around  spreads  the 
great  and  terrible  desert,  glittering  with  the  bones 
of  the  dead  generation  of  fathers.  Beyond,  ris.es 
the  everlasting  granitic  mountain  mass  of  Seir. 
Above,  the  heavens  maintain  their  dreadful  com- 
posure. Toward  them  the  aged  intercessor  looks 
with  outstretched  hands,  and  the  primeval  silence 
of  the  place  is  broken  by  A  Prayer  of  Moses,  the 

man  of  God: 

i 

Lord,  them  hast  been  our  dwelling  place  in  all  genera- 
Before  the  mountains  were  brought  forth,  [tions. 
Before  thou  gavest  birth  to  the  earth  and  the  world, 

Even  from  everlasting  to  everlasting,  thou  art  God. 

NOTES. — Strophe  i.  The  eternity  of  God.  It  contrasts  pow- 
erfully with  the  brevity  of  man's  life. — dwelling  place,  home. 
The  Israelites  had  no  other  for  forty  years. 

The  eternal  God  is  thy  refuge, 

And  underneath  are  the  everlasting  arms. 

(Deuteronomy  xxxiii.  27.) 

— the  mountains,  emblems  of  eternity  and  strength.  Mount 
Seir  was  in  sight. — brought  forth,  born  when  they  emerged 
from  the  deep.  And  the  Spirit  of  God  brooded  upon  the  face 


LYRICS  309 

II 

Thou  makest  man  return  to  dust ; 
And  sayest :   Return  to  dust,  ye  children  of  dust. 
For  a  thousand  years  in  thy  sight, 
Are  as  yesterday  when  it  passeth, 
And  a  watch  in  the  night. 

Thou  sweepest  them  away,  they  are  asleep. 
In  the  morning,  as  the  grass  that  springeth  up ; 
In  the  morning  it  flourisheth  and  springeth  up, 
In  the  evening  it  is  cut  down  and  withereth. 


of  the  waters.  (Genesis  i.  2.)  We  remember  that  this  psalmist 
wrote  the  history  of  the  creation. — the  world,  the  universe. — 
from  everlasting  to  everlasting,  eternity,  past  and  future. 

Strophe  2.  The  transitory  nature  of  human  life. — dust ;  the 
Hebrew  means  particles  produced  by  crushing.  Dust  thou 
art,  and  unto  dust  thou  shalt  return.  (Genesis  iii.  19.) — a  thou- 
sand years.  One  day  is  with  the  Lord  as  a  thousand  years,  and 
a  thousand  years  as  one  day.  (2  Peter  iii.  8.) — passeth;  the 
words  in  the  original  glide  rapidly. 

Thou  sweepest.  But  one  word  in  the  Hebrew  is  used  here, 
and  we  have  no  one  sufficient  to  give  its  full  meaning,  which  is 
to  sweep  away  and  overwhelm  with  a  flood,  possibly  an  allu- 
sion to  the  Deluge. — asleep ;  /.  e.,  sleeping  in  death  (Koster, 
Delitzsch,  Moll).  This  is  a  consequence  of  "Thou  sweepest." 
There  is  no  comparison,  as  in  the  Authorized  Version  and 
Revised  Version:  -'They  are  as  a  sleep."  They  refers  to  men, 
not  to  years,  and  the  common  interpretation,  that  "years  pass 
as  a  dream,"  is  altogether  unwarranted.  A  generation  of  men 
passes  away  into  the  night  slumber  of  death,  but — in  the  morn- 
ing, a  new  generation  springs  up,  like  grass  in  the  dew;  it 


310  JUDA  W  JE  WELS 

III 

For  we  are  consumed  in  thine  anger, 
And  in  thy  wrath  are  we  troubled. 
Thou  hast  set  our  iniquities  before  thee, 
Our  secret  sins  in  the  light  of  thy  countenance. 

For  all  our  days  are  passed  away  in  thy  wrath, 

We  end  our  years  as  a  sigh. 

The  days  of  our  years,  all  are  threescore  years  and  ten, 

Or,  if  strength  be  great,  fourscore  years ; 

And  their  pride  is  labor  and  sorrow ; 

For  soon  it  is  gone,  and  we  fly  away. 

Who  knoweth  the  power  of  thine  anger, 
And,  according  to  thy  fear,  thy  wrath? 
Teach  us  so  to  number  our  days, 
And  we  shall  ingather  a  heart  of  wisdom. 


springs  up,  to  be  in  its  turn  cut  down,  and  to  wither.  This  fig- 
ure passes  through  David  (Psalm  ciii.  15,  16),  over  to  Isaiah 
(ch.  xl.  6-8),  and  down  to  Peter  (First  Epistle  i.  23,  24). 

Strophe  j>.  A  transition  from  the  general  subject  of  fleeting 
human  life  to  a  particular  view  of  it  in  his  own  people. — con- 
sumed. "For  indeed  the  hand  of  the  Lord  was  against  them, 
to  destroy  them  from  among  the  host,  until  they  were  con- 
sumed." (Deuteronomy  ii.  15.) — troubled,  terrified. — in  the 
light  of  thy  countenance,  so  that  the  sins  were  completely 
known  to  them,  and  to  all  the  universe.  They  could  not  en- 
dure the  light  shining  from  Moses's  face,  which  was  a  mere 
reflection.  (Exodus  xxxiv.  29,  ff.) 

Passed  away,  literally  Jiave  turned,  as  the  day  turns  to  even- 
ing. "Woe  unto  us!  for  the  day  turneth  [same  word  in  He- 


LYRICS  311 

IV 

Turn,  O  Jehovah;  how  long? 
Repent  thee  concerning  thy  servants. 
O  satisfy  us  in  the  dawning  with  thy  mercy, 
That  we  may  rejoice  and  be  glad  all  our  days. 
Make  us  glad  according  to  the  days  thou  hast  afflicted  us, 
The  years  we  have  seen  evil. 

Let  thy  work  appear  unto  thy  servants, 

And  thy  glory  upon  their  sons. 

And  let  the  beauty  of  Jehovah  our  God  be  upon  us ; 

And  the  work  of  our  hands  establish  thou  upon  us, 

Yea,  the  work  of  our  hands,  establish  thou  it. 


brew],  for  the  shadows  of  the  evening  are  stretched  out." 
(Jeremiah  vi.  4.) — as  a  sigh,  or  a  fleeting  sound,  a  murmur,  a 
whisper,  a  word  quickly  spoken  and  forgotten. — our  years,  all; 
emphatic  in  the  Hebrew.  The  fourth  line  of  this  stanza  is  par- 
enthetical; the  Authorized  Version  expresses  the  thought  in- 
accurately— their  pride ;  the  bona  naturalia,  youth,  health,  and 
beauty. — labor  and  sorrow,  toil  and  vanity — i.  e.,  without  result. 

And,  according,  etc.,  may  be  thus  paraphrased:  And  who 
understands  the  terrors  of  thy  wrath  in  the  measure  that  a  just 
fear  of  thee  should  impart? — teach  us  so;  so  connects  with  the 
preceding  distich,  not  with  what  follows,  as  in  the  Authorized 
Version  and  Revised  Version.  Teach  us  in  this  measure  (or 
thus) — to  number  our  days,  not  arithmetically,  but  understand- 
ingly  to  estimate. — ingather,  as  harvest  is  gathered  in,  brought 
home. 

Strophe  4.  A  special  supplication  for  mercy  and  blessing  on 
Israel. — Turn  (not  Return,  as  the  Authorized  Version  and  Re- 
vised Version)  from  thine  anger. — how  long  shall  it  burn? — 


312  JUDA  'S  JB  WELS 

The  cloud  which  hangs  over  the  beginning  of 
the  psalm  is  partially  removed  at  the  close.  That 
intense  confidence  in  God  characteristic  of  Moses 
breaks  forth  at  the  last.  (Dean  of  Wells.}  _  It  has 
been  remarked  that  the  psalm  is  like  the  pillar  of 
cloud  and  fire  which  led  the  children  of  Israel. 
It  is  dark  and  bright.  It  is  dark  as  it  looks  in 
sorrowful  retrospect  on  man.  It  is  bright  as  it  is 
turned  in  hope  and  confidence  to  God.  (Peroivne. ) 

repent.  "Wherefore  should  the  Egyptians  speak,  and  say, 
For  mischief  did  he  bring  them  out,  to  slay  them  in  the  moun- 
tain, and  to  consume  them  from  the  face  of  the  earth  ?  Turn 
from  thy  fierce  wrath,  and  repent  of  this  evil  against  thy  peo- 
ple." The  intercession  of  Moses,  Exodus  xxxii.  12. — in  the 
dawning;  or,  in  this  morning  of  a  new  day  of  mercy  and  hope. 
Literally,  -with  thy  mercy  in  the  morning.  (Revised  Version.)  It 
does  not  mean  "early" — i.e.,  soon,  as  in  the  Authorized  Ver- 
sion. "The  dawning  denotes  that  there  has  been  a  night  in  Is- 
rael, but  now  there  begins  a  new  era  of  grace."  (Delitzsch.") — 
make  us  glad  according  to;  i.e.,  make  us  to  rejoice  in  some 
proportion  to  the  days  and  years  of  our  humiliation. 

Let  thy  work  appear.  "God's  work  is  first  to  appear,  his 
majesty  is  to  be  revealed;  then  man's  work,  which  is  God's 
work  carried  out  by  human  instruments,  may  look  for  his 
blessing."  (Perowne.) — beauty,  or  favor;  see  Psalm  xxvii.  4; 
a  very  expressive  word  in  the  Hebrew,  signifying  primarily 
what  is  sweet,  pleasant,  and  delightful.  It  is  not  merely  beauty 
in  the  widest  sense,  or  glory  or  goodness,  but  a  union  of  them 
all.  (McCurdy.') — the  work  of  our  hands;  an  expression  fre- 
quent in  Deuteronomy  to  denote  human  achievements  gener- 
ally.— establish,  prosper  and  confirm  by  an  influence  from 
above  descending  upon  us ;  for  without  this,  in  our  own  strength, 
we  can  accomplish  no  good  thing. 


LTRICS  313 

There  is  something  in  its  tone  wonderfully  striking 
and- solemn.  It  acquaints  us  with  profound  depths 
of  the  divine  nature.  These  awful  thoughts  may 
well  have  occurred  to  Moses  at  the  close  of  his 
wanderings,  and  the  author  is  plainly  grown  gray 
with  a  vast  experience.  (Ewald.)  All  critics 
unite  in  their  admiration  of  its  majestic  dignity,  of 
its  profound  mystery.  It  strides  with  threatening 
tread  above  all  the  heights,  and  above  all  the 
depths  of  life.  (Moll.)  The  psalm  of  eternity. 
(Herder.)  The  most  sublime  of  human  composi- 
tions, the  deepest  in  feeling,  the  loftiest  in  theo- 
logic  conception,  the  most  magnificent  in  imagery. 
There  is  underlying  this  poem,  from  the  first  line 
to  the  last,  the  substance  of  philosophic  thought, 
apart  from  which,  expressed  or  understood,  poetry 
is  frivolous,  and  is  not  in  harmony  with  the  serious- 
ness of  human  life.  This  psalm  is  of  the  sort  which 
Plato  would  have  written,  or  Sophocles,  if  only  one 
or  the  other  of  these  minds  had  possessed  a  heaven- 
descended  theology.  (Taylor.) 

Between  the  time  of  Moses  and  David,  we  have 
the  Song  of  Deborah  from  the  heroic  age  of  the 
Judges.1  It  is  a  stirring  battle  song,  full  of  fire 
and  dithyrambic  swing,  breathing  the  spirit  of  an 
age  of  disorder  and  tumult,  when  might  was  right. 
We  have  already  seen  how  it  influenced  the  tone 
and  imagery  of  the  great  Processional  Anthem, 
Psalm  Ixviii.  Another  and  a  very  different  speci- 
men of  female  poetry  is  Hannah's  hymn  of  joy  and 

'Judges  v. 


3 14  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

gratitude  when  she  dedicated  her  son,  Samuel,  the 
last  of  the  Judges,  to  the  service  of  Jehovah.1  It  fur- 
nished the  keynote  to  the  Magnificat  of  the  Virgin.2 
We  now  reach  the  time  of  David  and  the  Psalter; 
for  Psalm  xc.  of  Moses  is  the  only  one  prior  to  his 
time  in  the  collection.  It  connects  the  book  of 
praises  with  the  infancy  of  the  nation,  and  makes 
it  coextensive  with  the  millennium  of  Hebrew  liter- 
ature. David's  poetry,  nearly  one-half  the  whole 
book,  has  been  partially  examined.  Before  con- 
sidering the  lyrics  of  later  authors,  we  will  glance 
at  the  Psalter  as  a  whole. 

§  4.  The  title,  Psalter,  originated  in  the  Greek 
Alexandrian  or  Septuagint  Version,  and  is  a  col- 
lective term  for  the  Book  of  Psalms.  It  was  orig- 
inally the  name  of  a  stringed  instrument,  and  the 
word  psalm  means  the  music  and  playing  of  the 
instrument.  Tehillim,  or  Songs  of  Praise,  is  the 
Hebrew  title.  The  Psalter  is  subdivided  into  five 
books,  each  of  which  is  distinctly  marked  by  a 
doxology  at  its  close.  The  Hebrew  Midrash  on 
Psalm  i.  i  says:  "  Moses  gave  the  five  books  of 
the  Law  to  the  Israelites,  and  as  a  counterpart  to 
them  David  gave  the  Psalms,  consisting  of  five 
books."  But  beyond  question  this  fivefold  division 

*i  Samuel  ii.  i-io.  2Luke  i.  46-55. 


LTRICS  3J5 

was  not  complete  until  five  centuries  after  David. 
Still,  Delitzsch  supposes  that  this  remark  may 
point  to  an  internal  harmony  between  the  fivefold 
enunciation  of  the  law  and  the  fivefold  response  of 
the  national  heart;  the  subjective  echo  to  the  ob- 
jective command. 

There  are  good  reasons  for  believing  that  the 
first  book,  containing  forty-one  psalms,  almost  all 
David's,  was  compiled  by  Solomon.  The  sec- 
ond, beginning  with  Psalm  xlii.,  and  containing 
thirty-one  psalms,  was  probably  compiled  soon 
afterwards ;  but  peculiar  characteristics  of  the  inr 
scriptions,  and  a  peculiar  use  of  the  divine  names, 
indicate  a  different  redaction.  The  third,  begin- 
ning with  Psalm  Ixxiii.,  contains  seventeen  psalms, 
which  were  probably  collected  in  the  reign  of 
Jehoshaphat.  The  fourth,  beginning  with  Psalm 
xc.,  containing  seventeen,  and  the  fifth,  beginning 
with  Psalm  cvii.,  and  containing  forty-four  psalms, 
were  compiled  after  the  Captivity,  though  contain- 
ing, besides  Moses's  psalm,  some  psalms  that  are 
undoubtedly  David's,  preserved  probably  by  tra- 
dition. "If  any  more  general  subdivision  of  the 
book  is  needed  as  a  basis  or  a  means  of  a  more 
convenient  exposition,  it  may  be  obtained  by  tak- 
ing as  the  central  column  of  this  splendid  fabric 
its  most  ancient  portion,  the  sublime  and  affect- 


3  1  6  /£/.ZM  '.S  JE  WELS 


ing  Prayer  of  Moses,  and  suffering  this,  as  a  land- 
mark, to  separate  the  whole  into  two  great  parts, 
the  first  composed  entirely  of  psalms  belonging 
to  the  Monarchy,  the  other  of  a  few  such,  with  a 
much  greater  number  of  late  compositions."  (Al- 
exander.) The  canon  was  closed  not  later  than 
400  B.C.  What  principle  governed  the  compilers, 
in  the  order  of  arrangement,  has  been  a  subject  of 
much  discussion  without  satisfactory  result.  The 
arrangement  was  regarded  by  the  Jews  with  that 
profound,  not  to  say  superstitious,  reverence  for 
antiquity  so  characteristic  of  them,  and  probably 
has  never  been  disturbed.  This  is  illustrated  by 
the  Midrash  Tillin  (ch.  27)  on  Psalm  iii.,  which 
says:  "When  Joshua  Ben  Levi  undertook  to  re- 
vise the  arrangement  of  the  Psalms,  an  echo  from 
heaven  {Bath  kol}  cried  to  him,  Wake  not  David 
from  his  slumbers." 

The  old  canonical  tradition  of  the  Hebrews,  pre- 
served in  the  titles  to  many  psalms,  assigns,  out  of 
the  total  one  hundred  and  fifty,  one  to  Moses,  sev- 
enty-three to  David,  two  to  Solomon,  eleven  to  the 
Sons  of  Korah,  twelve  to  Asaph,  one  to  Heman 
the  Ezrahite,  and  one  to  Ethan  the  Ezrahite.  Of 
the  remaining  forty-nine,  twenty-four  have  titles 
not  indicating  authorship,  and  twenty-five  are  un- 
titled.  These  last  are  the  Orphan  Psalms,  as  they 


LYRICS  317 

are  called  by  the  Talmudical  writers.  In  the  Au- 
thorized Version  the  untitled  psalms  are  thirty- 
seven,  twelve  being  psalms  which  in  the  Sep- 
tuagint  have  Hallelujah  as  a  title,  in  our  version 
translated  and  improperly  made  the  first  line  of  the 
psalm.  The  titular  ascriptions  of  authorship  have 
undergone  searching  criticism  within  the  present 
century,  and  the  result  on  the  whole  seems  favor- 
able to  their  correctness.  The  twelve  assigned  to 
Asaph  cannot  all  have  been  composed  by  Asaph 
the  Levite,  the  renowned  chorister  of  David,  for 
some  of  them  are  as  late  as  Hezekiah  and  the 
Chaldean  exile.  It  has  therefore  been  generally 
concluded  that  Asaph  is  a  family  name,  similar 
to  that  of  the  family  of  Levitical  musicians  and 
psalmists,  the  Sons  of  Korah. 

In  the  titles  to  the  psalms  are  found  a  number 
of  terms  so  obscure  that  their  meaning  is  still  in 
doubt.  Some  seem  to  be  musical  terms,  others 
terms  classifying  the  kinds  of  odes.  The  system 
is  far  from  being  scientific  or  accurate  in  any 
sense,  but  is  of  archaic  interest.  We  give  a  few 
of  these  terms : 

ist.  Tehillah,  a  hymn  of  praise;  occurs  in  the 
title  of  Psalm  cxlv.,  David's  hymn  of  praise.  The 
plural,  Tehillim,  is  the  title,  as  already  stated,  of 
the  whole  Psalter. 


JUDA^S  JEWELS 

2d.  Tephillah,  a  prayer.  A  large  proportion  of 
the  psalms,  as  we  have  seen,  fall  into  this  class. 
Ewald  says  that  all  lyric  poetry  partakes  of  the 
nature  of  prayer. 

3d.  Kenan,  a  dirge  or  lament,  including  all  ele- 
gies. 

4th.  Mashel,  an  ode  skillfully  constructed,  a  si- 
militude, a  parable  in  the  Old  Testament  sense — 
e.g.: 

I  will  incline  mine  ear  to  a  parable, 

I  will  open  my  dark  saying  upon  the  harp. 

(Psalm  xlix.  4.) 

There  are  several  other  classes,  which,  how- 
ever, fail  to  exhaust  the  kinds  of  odes,  and  which 
trespass  upon  each  other  most  illogically.  Alto- 
gether the  system,  if  it  can  be  so  called,  affords 
a  curious  illustration  of  the  unscientific  habit  of 
Hebrew  thought. 

We  have  seen  that  lyric  poetry  originated  in  the 
pre-Mosaic  age,  that  with  Moses  it  attained  unsur- 
passed excellence,  and  that  it  flourished  with  a 
rude  vigor  during  the  period  of  Judges.  Its  cul- 
mination was  in  the  reign  of  David,  the  prince  of 
songsters,  who  set  his  royal  seal  upon  the  lyric 
art,  and  made  it  his  own.  Thenceforth  it  de- 
clined. Through  the  reigns  of  the  earlier  kings, 
when  the  nation  was  quiet  and  at  peace,  or,  at 


LYRICS  319 

least,  was  no  longer  struggling  for  existence, 
gnomic  poetry  blossomed  and  bore  fruit.  Ewald 
calls  this  the  artificial  period  of  Hebrew  poetry. 
From  the  end  of  the  eighth  century  before  Christ, 
the  decline  of  the  nation  was  rapid,  and  with  its 
glory  departed  the  chief  glories  of  its  literature. 
The  lyrics  of  this  period  are  distinguished  by  a 
smoothness  of  diction  and  an  external  polish  which 
are  tokens  of  labor  and  art.  The  style  is  less 
flowing  and  easy,  and,  except  in  rare  instances, 
show  none  of  David's  dash,  vigor,  impulsive  ab- 
ruptness, and  tempestuous  passion.  After  the 
Captivity  there  are  only  a  few  hymns,  compiled 
for  the  liturgical  services  of  the  temple.  Israel's 
right  hand  had  forgot  her  cunning. 

The  New  Testament  contains  four  lyrics:  The 
Magnificat  of  the  Virgin  (Luke  i.  46-55);  The 
Benedictus  of  Zacharias  (Luke  i.  68-79);  The 
Gloria  in  Excelsis,  a  single  distich  (Luke  ii.  14); 
The  Nunc  Dimittis  of  Simeon  (Luke  ii.  29-32). 
These  are  the  only  passages  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment, other  than  quotations,  that  can  be  reckoned 
as  poetry.  We  have  already  indicated  that  there 
are  a  number  assuming  an  unintentional  poetic 
style,  but  these  alone  are  avowedly  odes.  Their 
spirit  is  thoroughly  that  of  the  Old  Testament, 
and,  indeed,  the  longer  ones  are  made  up  of  quo- 


320  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

tations  or  adaptations.  They  are  specimens  of 
Hebrew  poetry  composed  in  Greek,  and  impress 
us  with  the  fact  that  this  people,  in  adopting  the 
Greek  language,  did  not  become  Greeks,  but  used 
that  wonderfully  flexible  tongue  to  express  He- 
brew thought  in  Hebrew  forms.  This  series  of 
lyrics,  of  great  beauty  and  interest,  has  been 
called  the  golden  sunset  of  Hebrew  poetry.  But 
the  sunset  was  long  past.  Rather  it  is  the  soft 
moonlight  of  its  evening,  the  reflection  of  the  de- 
parted king  of  day. 

So,  then,  with  a  few  scattered  exceptions,  we 
find  all  the  sacred  lyrics  within  the  compass  of  the 
Psalter.  This  book  stands  apart  from  all  the  oth- 
er books  of  the  Bible.  It  is  peculiar,  not  merely 
in  the  lyrical  form  of  its  teachings,  but  in  the 
mode  of  teaching  in  a  far  deeper  sense.  Lu- 
ther, in  his  preface  to  the  Psalter,  says:  "The 
noble  nature  and  art  of  the  psalms  consists  in  this, 
that  while  other  books  have  much  to  tell  us  about 
the  works  of  the  saints,  they  give  us  few  of  their 
words.  But  the  Psalter  does  still  more,  in  that  it 
does  not  set  before  us  the  poor,  commonplace  dis- 
courses of  the  saints,  but  the  very  best,  even  those 
which  they  held  with  God  himself,  in  the  greatest 
earnestness,  and  on  the  most  important  matters. 
By  this  means  it  lays  before  us,  not  simply  their 


LYRICS  321 

words  and  works,  but  their  hearts,  and  the  deep 
treasures  of  their  souls,  so  that  we  may  look  upon 
the  foundation  and  fountain  of  their  words  and 
works,  that  we  can  see  in  their  hearts,  what  noble 
thoughts  they  had,  and  how  their  hearts  were  af- 
fected in  all  kinds  of  affairs,  dangers,  and  neces- 
sities." Moreover,  in  the  Psalter  we  are  taught, 
as  nowhere  else  are  we  taught,  how  acceptably  to 
approach  God  in  prayer  and  praise.  For  all  the 
other  books  of  the  Bible  are  the  words  of  God 
addressed  to  man,  in  law,  in  history,  in  proph- 
ecy, in  doctrine.  In  this  alone  are  the  words  of 
man  addressed  to  God,  in  his  griefs  and  fears, 
doubts  and  hopes,  joys,  cares,  and  anxieties — 
words,  too,  inspired  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  so  that  we 
know  that  they  are  right  words,  moving  words,  ac- 
ceptable words.  So,  then,  if  prayer  and  praise  be 
our  highest  duties,  our  noblest  exercises;  if  they 
be  the  keys  opening  the  gates  that  bar  our  ap- 
proach to  the  Eternal  Presence ;  we  have  here  the 
teaching  that  meets  our  greatest  practical  need, 
and  lifts  us  to  communion  with  our  Maker. 

§5.  It  remains  to  examine  some  other  psalms  not 
ascribed  to  David.  Many  of  them  are  of  won- 
derful power,  and  glow  with  delectable  beauties. 

Of  this  class  have  already  been  presented  Psalms 
21 


322  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

ii.,  xlii.,  xliii.,  xc.,  xcv.,  and  cxxx.  A  few  others 
must  suffice.  The  selections  which  follow  are  in- 
tended to  illustrate  in  general  the  great  variety  of 
genius  engaged  in  the  sacred  lyrics.  They  differ 
widely  among  themselves,  and  from  any  hereto- 
fore cited,  yet  are  possessed  of  high  poetic  merit. 
Especially  are  they  intended  to  illustrate,  each 
one  a  particular  characteristic  of  Hebrew  poetry. 
The  great  thought  of  Jehovah  dominates  them  all, 
and  other  special  characteristics  are  more  or  less 
common;  but  in  each  of  them  some  one  mark 
comes  out  with  an  unusual  prominence,  which 
enables  us  the  better  to  discriminate  and  empha- 
size it.  The  intensely  concrete  mode  of  Hebrew 
thought  has  already  been  particularly  noted  in 
Psalm  cxxxix.,  and  its  austere  dignity  in  Psalm 
xc.  These  two  characters  call  for  no  further  il- 
lustration. 

Another  character  is  the  rich,  glowing,  oriental 
imagery,  the  high  coloring  of  Hebrew  poetry.  Let 
us  turn  to  Psalm  xlv.  It  is  a  love  song  by  one 
of  the  sons  of  Korah.  In  the  title,  the  word 
Shoshannim  means  lilies,  probably  the  equivalent 
to  beautiful  maidens,  bridesmaids,  or  brides,  and 
may  indicate  that  it  is  adapted  to  a  bridal  cere- 
mony. It  celebrates  the  nuptials  of  a  king.  He 
is  described  as  beautiful  and  gracious,  as  a  hero 


LYRICS  323 

and  conqueror,  as  one  anointed  with  the  oil  of  glad- 
ness, as  enjoying  every  earthly  bliss,  and  about  to 
make  a  foreign  princess  his  bride.  She  is  beau- 
tiful and  glorious  in  her  person  and  apparel,  and 
is  attended  by  a  train  of  virgins.  She  is  brought 
unto  the  king  in  his  palace  amid  festal  rejoicings. 
The  ode  may  have  been  suggested  by  some  his- 
toric occasion;  but  this  is  no  historic  king  of  Is- 
rael, for  there  are  insuperable  objections  to  such 
interpretation.  Solomon,  the  peaceful,  was  not  a 
conqueror — but  the  point  need  not  be  considered 
in  detail,  for  there  are  a  number  of  expressions 
which  cannot  be  construed  as  merely  hyperbolical, 
and  which  it  would  be  blasphemy  to  apply  to  any 
mere  man.  This  king  is  blessed  for  evermore,  he 
is  addressed  as  divine,  and  his  bride  is  exhorted  to 
worship  him.  He  occupies  an  everlasting  throne, 
his  dominion  through  his  children  shall  extend 
over  all  the  earth  and  endure  to  the  end  of  time, 
and  his  praise  shall  be  forever  and  ever.  The  only 
explanation  of  this  exalted  language  is  found  in  the 
old  traditional  interpretation  of  the  Jews,  confirmed 
by  the  author  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews,1  and 
accepted  by  most  critics,  that  this  psalm  is  rhe- 
torically an  allegory,  and  intrinsically  prophetic — 
Messianic.  The  king  is  Christ,  the  bride  is  hig 

1  Hebrews  i.  8,  9, 


324  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

Church.  It  is  a  psalm  full  of  mystery  to  the  Jew, 
but  luminous  with  brilliant  glories  in  the  light  of  the 
gospel  and  of  progressing  Christianity. 

A  strange  Song  of  Loves  this ;  but  the  title  is 
confirmed  by  its  erotic  form  and  imagery;  and 
nowhere  will  we  find  one  more  thoroughly  orien- 
tal in  tone,  in  the  warm  glow  of  its  hues,  and  in 
the  rich  perfume  of  its  spices.  The  poet  begins 
by  declaring  his  rapture: 

i 

My  heart  overflows  with  a  goodly  theme ; 
I  speak,  my  words  are  for  a  king ; 
My  tongue  is  the  pen  of  a  ready  writer. 

ii 

Fair,  fair  art  thou  above  the  sons  of  men ; 
Grace  is  poured  into  thy  lips ; 
Therefore  God  hath  blessed  thee  forever. 


NOTES. — Strophe  i.  Prelude. — a  ready  writer;  the  tongue 
moves  fluently  as  the  pen  of  a  shorthand  writer.  Thus  Ezra  is 
called  "a  ready  scribe"  (ch.  vii.  6). 

Strophe  2.  The  king's  personal  excellence.  The  Hebrews 
regarded  beauty  as  the  outward  manifestation  of  an  inherent 
nobleness  akin  to  divinity. — grace  is  poured  into  thy  lips.  The 
words  that  I  speak  unto  you,  I  speak  not  of  myself.  (John 
xiv.  10.)  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me,  because  he  hath 
anointed  me  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  poor.  And  all  bare 
him  witness,  and  wondered  at  the  gracious  words  that  pro- 
ceeded out  of  his  mouth.  (Luke  iv.  18,  22.) — forever.  See 
also  strophes  4  and  9. 


LTRICS  325 

in 

Gird  thy  sword  upon  thy  thigh,  O  Mighty  One, 
Thy  honor  and  thy  majesty ; 
And  in  thy  majesty  go  forth, 
Ride,  for  the  sake  of  truth  and  lowly  right, 
And  thy  right  hand  shall  teach  thee  terrible  deeds. 
Thine  arrows  are  sharp, 

Peoples  fall  under  thee ; 
In  the  heart  of  the  king's  enemies ! 

IV 

Thy  throne,  O  God,  is  forever  and  ever ; 
A  scepter  of  equity  is  the  scepter  of  thy  kingdom. 
Thou  hast  loved  righteousness,  and  hated  wickedness ; 
Therefore,  O  God,  thy  God  hath  anointed  thee 
With  the  oil  of  gladness  above  thy  fellows. 


Strofhe  j.  His  heroic  prowess.  And  I  saw,  and  behold  a  white 
horse,  and  he  that  sat  on  him  had  a  bow,  and  a  crown  was  given 
unto  him,  and  he  went  forth  conquering  and  to  conquer.  (Rev- 
elation vi.  2.) — Mighty  One;  this  could  very  well  be  rendered 
Hero. — honor  and  majesty,  array  thyself  in  them.  Kay  takes 
these  words  to  be  in  apposition  with  sword. — ride,  for,  etc.;  a 
knightly  motto. — right  hand,  is  boldly  personified.  It  leads  the 
warrior  onward,  and  teaches  him  the  terrible  things  it  executes. 

Thine  arrows,  etc.  The  beauty  of  this  vivid  picture  sub- 
joined to  the  strophe  is  greatly  obscured  in  the  Authorized 
Version  by  a  prosaic  supply  of  ellipses,  and  an  unwarranted 
transposition  of  clauses.  The  psalmist  sees  the  battlefield,  the 
sharp  arrows  fly,  the  foes  fall;  he  approaches  the  slain,  and 
behold,  the  arrows  are  in  their  hearts. 

Strophe  4.  His  righteous  rule. — Thy  throne,  O  God ;  this  is 


326  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

V 

Myrrh  and  aloes  and  cassia,  are  all  thy  garments ; 
From  palaces  of  ivory  strains  of  harps  delight  thee ; 
Daughters  of  kings  are  among  thy  precious  ones ; 
The  queen,  in  gold  of  Ophir,  is  stationed  at  thy  right 

[hand. 

the  literal,  grammatical  construction.  He  is  over  all,  God 
blessed  forever.  Amen.  (Romans  ix.  5.  See  Hebrews  i.  8,  9.) 
The  rendering  of  the  fourth  line  is  not  so  unquestionable,  but 
is  defensible,  and  consists  with  the  context. 

Strophe 5.  His  pleasant  delights. — Myrrh,  etc.;  his  garments 
are  as  thoroughly  perfumed  with  these  spices  as  if  made  of 
them. — from  palaces,  etc.;  out  of  his  own  many  palaces,  deco- 
rated with  ivory,  strains  of  joyous  music  greet  him  welcome. 
The  common  interpretation  is  that  the  king  goes  to  a  foreign 
kingdom  to  claim  his  princess  bride,  and  that  as  he  approaches 
her  home  he  is  welcomed  with  music.  This  accords  with  the 
ancient  oriental  custom,  according  to  which  the  bridegroom 
went  out  after  the  bride,  and  conducted  her  to  his  own  home. 
But  it  does  not  appear  to  have  been  practiced  by  royal  bride- 
grooms, and  for  obvious  reasons.  There  is  not  one  word  in 
the  ode  which  indicates  any  such  progress  of  the  king.  The 
notion  has  been  thought  into  it  by  the  interpreters,  and  ac- 
cepted one  from  another;  their  fancy  being  caught  by  the  alle- 
gorical correspondence  to  Christ's  coming  into  the  world.  It 
is  directly  contrary  to  the  plain  statement  in  strophe  7,  that  the 
bride  is  brought  unto  the  king,  and  this  inconsistency  is  ex- 
plained by  violent  suppositions.  It  is  much  better  to  under- 
stand that  thus  far  in  the  ode  no  allusion  has  been  made  to 
the  nuptials.  The  present  strophe  describes  merely  his  royal 
pleasures  and  state  within  his  own  dominions.  This  is  simple, 
clear,  and  consistent,  and  does  not  bring  in  a  hard  knot  to  be 


L TRIGS  327 

VI 

Hearken,  O  daughter,  and  consider,  and  incline  thine  ear, 
Forget  also  thine  own  people,  and  thy  father's  house, 
So  shall  the  king  greatly  desire  thy  beauty ; 
For  he  is  thy  Lord,  and  worship  thou  him. 

And  the  daughter  of  Tyre,  with  a  gift, 

The  rich  of  the  people,  shall  entreat  thy  favor. 

afterwards  cut.  We  must  not  let  our  fancy  lead  us  beyond  the 
record. — thy  precious  ones,  thy  treasures,  thy  jewels.  "As 
polygamy  had  only  the  permission,  not  the  sanction  of  God,  it 
may  seem  strange  that  it  should  be  mentioned  as  a  feature  in 
the  splendor  of  this  monarch.  But  polygamy  was  practiced  by 
the  best  of  kings;  and  the  psalmist  is  describing  the  magnifi- 
cence of  an  oriental  court  such  as  it  actually  existed  before  his 
eyes."  (PeroTvne.) — the  queen  is  stationed,  the  chief  consort, 
not  simply  stand,  as  in  the  Authorized  Version  and  Revised 
Version,  but  is  placed  at  the  post  of  honor.  This  queen  has 
been  variously  explained,  and  the  confusion  has  caused  some 
to  reject  the  Messianic  interpretation  altogether.  Possibly  she 
may  be  a  different  one  from  her  of  the  next  strophe,  one  al- 
ready wedded,  and  now  another  is  to  be  added  to  his  wives; 
thus  symbolizing  the  ancient  Jewish  and  the  Christian  Church. 
It  is  better,  however,  to  understand  that  the  queen  here  and  in 
strophe  6  is  the  same  person.  Here  his  happiness  is  spoken  of 
as  if  already  complete.  The  present  tense,  "is  stationed,"  is 
used  with  prophetic  confidence.  In  the  next  strophe,  begin- 
ning the  second  part  of  the  poem,  the  poet  returns  to  the  quasi- 
historic  order,  and  exhorts  her  who  is  to  be  the  queen,  and  sta- 
tioned at  the  king's  right  hand.  The  Church  of  all  the  saints 
is  the  King's  bride.  But  what  do  the  "daughters  of  kings"  in 
the  previous  line  symbolize?  Another  hard  knot  for  the  inter- 


JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

VII 

All  glorious  is  the  king's  daughter  within, 
Her  apparel  is  inwrought  with  gold. 
In  embroidered  robes  she  shall  be  led  unto  the  king, 
Virgins  her  companions  attending,  brought  in  unto  thee. 

With  gladness  and  rejoicing  shall  they  be  brought, 
They  shall  enter  into  the  palace  of  the  king. 

preters.  It  seems  best  to  regard  these,  and  the  virgins  of  strophe 
7,  as  unsymbolical.  We  must  not  push  an  allegory  or  a  parable 
too  far.  Much  must  be  accepted  as  merely  filling ,in  the  picture. 

Strophe  6.  The  bride  exhorted.  The  scene  is  changed  to  a 
foreign  kingdom,  and  the  princess  is  addressed  by  the  psalmist 
as  an  ambassador,  and  is  promised  gifts. — Hearken,  etc.;  the 
earnestness  of  this  threefold  address  shows  how  difficult  it  is  to 
gain  the  attention  of  the  bride,  to  make  her  comprehend  her 
complete  change  of  sphere,  the  disruption  of  old  ties,  and 
the  entire  surrender  of  her  heart  now  demanded.  Yielding 
will  win  the  king's  love.  The  merchant  princes  of  Tyre,  the 
wealthiest  commercial  city  in  the  world,  and  the  rich  of  all  na- 
tions, will  entreat  her  favor  with  gifts. — daughter  of  Tyre,  is 
a  Hebraism  for  the  city  or  for  its  inhabitants.  (Cf.  "daughter 
of  Babylon,"  "daughter  of  Jerusalem.") 

Strophe  7.  The  report  of  the  ambassador  to  the  king,  and  his 
account  of  the  future  festive  progress  of  the  bride  to  the  palace 
of  her  Lord. — within,  her  own,  or,  rather,  her  father's  royal 
house. — her  apparel.  Let  us  be  glad  and  rejoice,  and  give 
honor  to  him,  for  the  marriage  of  the  Lamb  is  come,  and  his 
wife  hath  made  herself  ready.  And  to  her  was  granted  that 
she  should  be  arrayed  in  fine  linen  and  white;  for  the  fine 
linen  is  the  righteousness  of  saints.  (Revelation  xix.  7,  8.) 
And  I  John  saw  the  holy  city,  the  new  Jerusalem,  coming 


L TRIGS  329 

VIII 

In  the  place  of  thy  fathers,  shall  be  thy  sons ; 
Thou  shalt  set  them  for  princes  in  all  the  earth. 

IX 

I  will  make  thy  name  to  be  remembered  in  all  genera- 

[tions ; 

Therefore  shall   the   peoples  praise  thee   forever  and 

[ever. 

The  psalm  divides  into  two  parts,  the  second 
beginning  with  strophe  6.  Structurally,  strophe  5 
stands  in  the  midst,  and  the  parts  before  and  after 
correspond  in  introverted  order.  In  the  first  and 
last  stanzas  the  poet  speaks  of  his  own  work.  Kos- 
ter's  arrangement  is  more  symmetrical,  but  for 
the  sake  of  symmetry  he  breaks  the  logical  co- 
herence, setting  the  distichs  of  strophe  5  apart  in 
different  strophes.  This  cannot  be  allowed.  It 
belongs  to  his  second  class — see  page  279,  note. 

Can  it  be  without  significance  that  this  mystic 

down  from  God,  out  of  heaven,  prepared  as  a  bride  adorned 
for  her  husband.  (Revelation  xxi.  2.) 

Strophe  8.  His  posterity. — thy  fathers,  are  those  of  whom  as 
concerning  the  flesh  Christ  came.  (Romans  ix.  5.)  He  shall 
be  yet  more  highly  honored  by  his  sons,  who  shall  be  the 
princes  of  the  earth. 

Strophe  9.  Conclusion.  The  psalmist  speaks  as  one  in  a  long 
series  of  inspired  heralds,  and  in  behalf  of  all. 


33°  JUDA  VS  JE  WELS 

psalm  is  immediately  followed  by  the  great  Song 
of  the  Church? 

God  is  our  refuge  and  strength, 
A  very  present  help  in  trouble. 

(Psalm  xlvi.  I.) 

Again,  this  is  followed  by  one  in  which  the  na- 
tions are  exhorted  cheerfully  to  entertain  the  uni- 
versal kingdom : 

Sing  praises  to  God,  sing  praises ; 

Sing  praises  unto  our  King,  sing  praises ; 

For  God  is  the  King  of  all  the  earth. 

(Psalm  xlvii.  6.) 

To  this  succeeds  another  describing  the  glories 
and  privileges  of  the  Church,  and  saying: 

Let  Mount  Zion  rejoice, 

Let  the  daughters  of  Judah  be  glad  ; 

For  this  God  is  our  God  forever  and  ever, 

He  will  be  our  guide  even  unto  death. 

(Psalm  xlviii.  n,  14.) 

All  of  these  successive  psalms  are  by  the  sons 
of  Korah. 

§6.  With  the  Song  of  Loves  we  will  contrast 
one  of  very  different  tone;  it  might  almost  be 
called  a  Song  of  Hate.  The  imprecatory  char- 
acter of  certain  psalms  is  a  familiar  difficulty,  and 
we  have  avoided  it  as  belonging  to  doctrinal  rather 


L  TRIGS  331 

than  to  aesthetic  exposition.  But  it  is  too  marked 
a  feature,  in  a  purely  rhetorical  point  of  view,  to 
be  entirely  unnoticed.  A  striking  trait  in  the 
Jewish  character  is  its  intensity  of  feeling.  The 
ardent  love  for  Jehovah  our  God  has  its  counter- 
part in  a  scorching  hate  of  the  wicked,  his  ene- 
mies. The  friendship  for  Jonathan  is  not  deeper 
than  the  abhorrence  for  Doeg.  The  profoundly 
intense  patriotism,  the  exaltation  of  the  Holy  City, 
which  is  indeed  the  joy  of  the  whole  earth,  is  bal- 
anced by  an  equally  intense  and  withering  male- 
diction of  those  who  came  up  against  her,  or  re- 
joiced in  the  day  of  her  calamity.  The  Chaldean 
exile  brought  this  patriotism  into  full  blaze.  There 
are  not  many  songs  belonging  to  this  epoch,  but 
they  are  remarkable.  We  merely  refer  to  Psalm 
cii.,  but  will  cite  in  full  the  familiar  Psalm  cxxxvii. 
Its  rhetorical  beauty  and  strength,  its  profound 
pathos  and  bitterness,  have  won  universal  recog- 
nition. Modern  literature  abounds  with  allusions 
to  it,  imitations  lie  on  every  hand  (as,  for  exam- 
ple, Byron's  noted  paraphrase),  and  a  number 
of  its  expressions  have  become  household  words. 
The  elegiac  pathos  of  its  rise  passes  over  into 
patriotic  feeling,  which  bursts  into  a  flame  of  pas- 
sionate fury,  and  hurls  a  curse  upon  the  oppressor 
like  a  thunderbolt: 


3 3 2  JUDA  VS1  JE  WELS 

I 

By  the  rivers  of  Babylon,  there  we  sat  down, 
Yea,  we  wept  when  we  remembered  Zion, 

We  hanged  our  harps  on  the  willows  thereby. 
For  there  our  captors  demanded  of  us  songs, 
And  they  that  oppressed  us,  mirth,  saying : 

Sing  us  one  of  the  songs  of  Zion. 

ii 

How  shall  we  sing  the  LORD'S  song  in  a  strange  land? 
If  I  forget  thee,  O  Jerusalem, 

Let  my  right  hand  forget  her  cunning. 

Let  my  tongue  cleave  to  the  roof  of  my  mouth, 
If  I  do  not  remember  thee ; 
If  I  prefer  not  Jerusalem  above  my  chief  joy. 


NOTES. — Strophe  i.  Willows.  This  has  given  the  scientific 
specific  name  to  our  weeping  willow,  Salix  babylonica.  Hence 
also  it  is  called  ivceping.  The  species  are  identical.  Herodotus 
speaks  (I.,  194)  of  boats  at  Babylon  whose  framework  was  of 
willow.  Before  the  Babylonish  Captivity  the  willow  was  always 
the  symbol  of  joyful  prosperity.  "It  is  remarkable  for  having 
been  in  different  ages  emblematical  of  two  directly  opposite 
feelings,  at  one  time  being  associated  with  the  palm,  at  another 
with  the  cypress.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  dedication 
of  the  tree  to  sorrow  is  to  be  traced  to  the  pathetic  passage 
in  the  Psalms."  (John's  Forest  Trees.) — demanded,  in  deri- 
sion. 

Strophe  2.  Forget,  what  is  due. — her  cunning.  These  words, 
not  in  the  Hebrew,  are  supplied  by  the  translators.  It  is  a  case 
of  aposiopesis.  The  meaning  is,  forget  its  skill  in  playing  the 
harp;  and  my  tongue  nevermore  sing.  What  intensity!  The 


L TRIGS  333 

in 

Remember,  O  LORD,  to  the  sons  of  Edom,  the  day  of 

[Jerusalem ; 

Who   said :    Raze    it,  raze  it,  to    the    very  foundation 

[thereof. 

O  daughter  of  Babylon,  that  art  laid  waste ; 
Happy  he  that  shall  reward  thee  as  thou  hast  served  us ; 
Happy  he  that  shall  take  and  dash  thy  little  ones  against 

[the  stones. 

latter  expression  is  derived  from  Job  xxix.  10. — if  I  prefer  not. 
Wordsworth  translates  literally :  "  if  I  advance  not  Jerusalem 
above  the  head  of  my  joy" — i.e.,  it  I  set  not  Jerusalem  as  a 
diadem  upon  the  head  of  my  rejoicing,  and  crown  all  my  hap- 
piness with  it. 

Strophe  3.  The  maledictions. — to  the  sons  of  Edom,  to  their 
sorrow. — the  day,  is,  according  to  common  oriental  usage  of 
the  word,  the  day  of  calamity.  The  Edomites  were  active  in 
the  destruction  of  Jerusalem;  see  Amos  i.  n.  Being  the  kins- 
men of  Israel,  this  was  particularly  odious. — O  daughter  of 
Babylon;  a  familiar  periphrasis  for  Babylon  itself. — art  laid 
waste;  prophetic  anticipation. 

The  change  of  tense  in  the  progress  of  this  psalm  has  trou- 
bled the  interpreters,  and  led  to  different  suppositions  as  to  the 
date  of  its  composition.  The  traditional  interpretation  takes  it 
to  have  been  written  in  Babylonia  during  the  Captivity.  But 
the  past  and  distant  of  strophe  i  may  indicate  a  date  after  the 
taking  of  Babylon  by  Cyrus  and  the  restoration  of  the  Jews, 
and  before  its  complete  destruction  by  Darius  Hystaspis. 
(Httzig,  Hengstenberg,  Huff  eld,  Pcroivne,  et  al.)  This  admits 
the  future  tense  of  the  last  distich.  If  the  view  be  accepted, 
we  must  understand  the  poet  in  strophe  2  to  be  speaking  in  the 
person  of  the  captives. 


334  JUDA  VS  JE  WELS 

The  last  line  of  the  ode  is  worthy  of  special  re- 
mark. It  is  in  accord  with,  and  perhaps  has 
reference  to,  the  prophecy  of  Isaiah  xiii.  16,  in 
the  Burden  of  Babylon :  Their  children  also  shall 
be  dashed  to  pieces  before  their  eyes.  Powerful, 
shocking,  terrible,  this  concluding  sentiment  at 
first  glance  seems  repugnant,  not  only  to  the  spirit 
of  Scripture,  but  also  to  the  spirit  of  poesy.  But 
consider  how  vividly  graphic  it  is.  Seizing  on  a 
single  culminating  circumstance,  it  gives  to  our 
eyes  all  the  horrors  of  the  midnight  sack  at  once, 
as  by  the  flash  of  a  search  light.  The  spoiler  has 
possession ;  defense  has  ceased.  Where  is  the 
father?  In  the  heap  of  the  slain.  Where  is  the 
mother?  In  the  streets.  Why  there?  Her  home 
is  in  flames.  And  the  avenging  soldier  snatches 
her  babe  from  her  breast,  and  dashes  out  its  brains 
against  the  wall.  This  powerful  condensation  re- 
minds us  of  the  line  in  the  Song  of  Moses:  I  will 
make  mine  arrows  drunk  with  blood;  and  of  the 
similar  phrase  of  Homer:  The  sword  of  Achilles, 
hot  with  blood.  We  shudder  as  we  read  it,  and 
must  confess  its  poetic  force  to  be  as  intense  as 
the  passion  that  flames  through  it. 

§  7.  A  marked  feature  of  the  Hebrew  lyric  is  the 
love  of  nature  which  it  manifests,  These  poets, 


L TRIGS  335 

saw  God  in  everything,  and  their  adoration  for 
Jehovah  our  God  warmed  their  hearts  with  love 
for  all  his  works.  "  No  poetry  in  any  age  has 
shown  a  fuller  appreciation  of  nature  in  all  its 
moods,  in  its  majesty  and  in  its  sweetness,  in  its 
terrors  and  in  its  repose.  Thronged,  as  it  were, 
with  multitudinous  forms  of  life,  the  atmosphere 
in  which  the  Hebrew  lyrist  moves  is  bright  with 
one  all-pervading  light,  which  gives  a  meaning 
and  an  object  to  them  all."  (Cook.)  Hence, 
every  mountain  and  river  of  Palestine,  the  cedars 
of  Lebanon,  the  snows  of  Hermon,  the  fig,  the 
olive,  and  the  vine,  the  rock  of  the  desert,  the 
sands  of  the  sea,  the  excellency  of  Carmel,  the 
rose  of  Sharon,  and  the  lily  of  the  valley,  all  are 
consecrated  and  immortalized  in  the  Scripture 
metaphors.  Yet  there  is  very  little  direct  descrip- 
tion of  natural  scenery,  and  that  little  is  not  for 
its  own  sake,  as  we  find  it  in  secular  poetry,  but 
for  the  sake  of  something  beyond.  All  the  means 
and  resources  of  the  loftiest  poetry  were  at  the 
command  of  the  Hebrew  bard,  but  he  made  them 
subservient  to  a  nobler  purpose  than  that  which 
animates  secular  genius.  He  is  charged  with  a 
message,  his  central  theme  is  higher  than  nature, 
and  all  his  powers  are  absorbed,  and  all  his  stores 
are  exhausted  in  attaining  its  adequate  expression. 


336  JUDA  '5  JE  WELS 

In  illustration  we  select  Psalm  civ.,  one  in  full 
sympathy  with  the  beauties  of  creation,  one  more 
nearly  descriptive  than  perhaps  any  of  the  sacred 
odes,  and  yet  one  which  not  less  completely  sub- 
ordinates every  sentiment  to  the  praise  of  the  Cre- 
ator. The  unknown  psalmist,  it  will  be  seen,  has 
in  mind  the  seven  days  of  the  world's  genesis,  and 
without  adhering  closely  to  the  order  of  the  record, 
reproduces  it  in  the  form  of  a  poetic  panorama. 
Many  interpreters  discover  a  spiritual  significance 
lying  just  below  the  surface  of  the  psalm.  To 
this  we  will  not  here  attempt  to  penetrate,  but 
only  glance  at  that  rhetorical  beauty  which  has 
always  been  acknowledged,  and  very  frequently 
praised.  Humboldt,  who  seemed  indifferent  to 
its  chief  excellence,  the  religious  sentiment,  has  in 
his  Cosmos  pronounced  this  Psalm  of  Nature  un-. 
rivaled  in  poetical  literature,  as  "presenting  in 
itself  a  picture  of  the  whole  world."  Certain  lin- 
guistic peculiarities,  also  its  smoothness,  grace, 
and  artistic  polish,  point  to  a  late  period  of  com- 
position. Its  calm  sweetness  contrasts  finely  with 
the  unrestrained  rapture  and  fiery  passion  of  those 
odes  we  have  just  considered.  It  recalls  that  pri- 
meval anthem  when — 

The  morning  stars  sang  together, 

And  all  the  sons  of  God  shouted  for  joy, 


L TRIGS  337 

We  may  imagine  that  the  psalmist  opens  the  sacred 
Mosaic  roll,  and  having  read  how  in  the  beginning 
God  created  the  heavens  and  the  earth,  calls  up 
his  powers  to  a  service  of  praise : 

Bless  the  LORD,  O  my  soul. 

i 

O  LORD  my  God,  thou  art  very  great ; 
Thou  hast  put  on  glory  and  majesty, 
Who  coverest  thyself  with  light  as  with  a  mantle, 
Who  stretchest  out  the  heavens  like  a  curtain, 
Who  layeth  the  beams  of  his  chambers  in  the  waters, 
Who  maketh  the  clouds  his  chariot, 
Who  goeth  on  the  wings  of  the  wind, 
Who  maketh  winds  his  messengers, 
Flames  of  fire  his  ministers. 


NOTES. — Strophe  i.  And  God  said,  Let  there  be  light,  and 
there  was  light.  (Genesis  i.  3.) — Thou  hast  put  on  a  faint  but 
real  image  of  thine  ineffable  glory;  the  dazzling  glory  of  God 
is  dimmed  and  softened  by  his  garment  of  light.  And  God 
said,  Let  there  be  a  firmament  in  the  midst  of  the  waters. 
(Genesis  i.  6.)  He  stretches  out  the  canopy  of  heaven  like  a 
tent.  He  constructs  his  pavilion  in  the  watery  firmament 
above,  as  a  man  builds  an  upper  chamber  with  joists  and 
rafters.  He  ride's  thence  in  his  chariot,  or  sends  forth  his 
messengers  to  do  his  commands.  (Dean  of  Wells.)  As  God 
uses  the  agency  of  winds' and  flames  to  execute  his  will,  so  he 
employs  the  spiritual  ministry  of  angels  to  minister  to  his 
world  of  spirits.  See  Hebrews  i.  5. 

22 


338  JUDA  '5  JE  WELS 

II 

Who  laid  the  foundations  of  the  earth, 

That  it  should  not  be  removed  forever. 

Thou  didst  cover  it  with  the  deep  as  with  a  garment ; 

The  waters  stand  above  the  mountains, 

At  thy  rebuke  they  flee, 

At  the  voice  of  thy  thunder  they  haste  away, 

The  mountains  rise,  the  valleys  sink, 

Unto  the  place  which  thou  didst  found  for  them. 

A  bound  thou  hast  set,  that  they  may  not  pass, 

That  they  turn  not  again  to  cover  the  earth. 

in 

He  sendeth  forth  springs  in  the  valleys, 

They  run  among  the  hills, 

They  give  drink  to  every  beast  of  the  field, 

The  wild  asses  quench  their  thirst. 

Above  them  dwell  the  birds  of  heaven, 

Among  the  branches  do  they  sing. 

He  watereth  the  hills  from  his  chambers ; 

The  earth  is  satisfied  with  the  fruit  of  thy  works. 


Strophe  2.  And  God  said,  Let  the  waters  under  the  heaven  be 
gathered  together  unto  one  place;  and  let  dry  land  appear; 
and  it  was  so.  (Genesis  i.  9.) — found  for  them,  for  the  wa- 
ters. The  previous  line  is  a  parenthesis. — a  bound.  Did  the 
psalmist  forget  the  deluge?  No,  but  he  is  here  speaking  of  the 
present  and  future. 

Strophe  3.  Yet  provision  is  made  for  watering  the  earth. 


LTRICS  339 

IV 

He  causeth  the  grass  to  grow  for  the  cattle, 

And  herbs  for  the  service  of  man, 

Bringing  forth  food  out  of  the  earth. 

With  wine,  too,  he  maketh  glad  the  heart  of  man, 

With  oil  he  maketh  his  face  to  shine, 

And  with  bread  he  strengtheneth  man's  heart. 

The  trees  of  the  LORD  are  satisfied, 

The  cedars  of  Lebanon  which  he  planted, 

Where  the  birds  make  their  nests ; 

The  stork,  cypresses  are  her  dwelling, 

The  high  hills  are  a  refuge  for  wild  goats, 

The  rocks  for  the  conies. 

v 

He  appointeth  the  moon  for  seasons ; 
The  sun  knoweth  his  going  down. 
Thou  makest  darkness,  and  it  is  night, 
Wherein  all  the  beasts  of  the  forest  come  forth. 
The  young  lions  roar  after  the  prey, 
And  seek  their  meat  from  God. 
The  sun  ariseth,  they  retire, 
And  couch  them  down  in  their  dens. 
Man  goeth  forth  unto  his  work, 
And  to  his  labor,  until  the  evening. 


Strophe  4.  And  God  said,  Let  the  earth  bring  forth  grass, 
the  herb  yielding  seed,  and  the  fruit-tree  yielding  fruit.  (Gen- 
esis i.  u.)  Oil  makes  man's  face  to  shine,  not  by  anointing, 
for  it  was  the  head,  not  the  face,  that  was  anointed,  but  by  the 


34°  JUDA  'S1  JE  WELS 

VI 

How  manifold  are  thy  works,  O  LORD  ! 
In  wisdom  thou  hast  wrought  them  all. 
The  earth  is  full  of  thy  riches. 

VII 

That  sea,  great  and  broad, 

Wherein  are  moving  things  innumerable, 

Living  creatures,  small  with  great! 

There  go  the  ships  ; 

That  leviathan  thou  hast  made  to  play  therein. 

VIII 

These  wait  all  upon  thee 

To  give  them  their  food  in  its  season. 

That  thou  givest  unto  them  they  gather ; 

Thou  openest  thine  hand,  they  are  satisfied  with  good. 

Thou  hidest  thy  face,  they  are  troubled ; 

Thou  takest  away  their  breath,  they  die, 

And  return  to  their  dust. 

Thou  sendest  forth  thy  breath,  they  are  created, 

And  thou  renewest  the  face  of  the  ground 


cheerfulness  it  imparts  as  a  condiment  of  food.  It  is  still  so 
used  in  the  East.  Corn,  wine,  and  oil  were  the  glory  of  the 
promised  land.  (See  Deuteronomy  xi.  14.)  The  trees  are  sat- 
isfied with  moisture  by  the  rain. 

Strophe  5.  And  God  said,  Let  there  be  lights  in  the  firma- 
ment of  heaven,  to  divide  the  day  from  the  night.  (Genesis  i. 
14.)  And  God  said,  Let  the  earth  bring  forth  the  living  crea- 
ture after  his  kind,  cattle,  and  creeping  thing,  and  beast  of  the 


L  TRIGS  .  341 

IX 

Let  the  glory  of  the  LORD  endure  forever; 
Let  the  LORD  rejoice  in  his  works. 
He  looketh  on  the  earth,  and  it  trembleth, 
He  toucheth  the  mountains,  and  they  smoke. 

x 

I  will  sing  unto  the  LORD  while  I  live ; 

I  will  sing  praise  to  my  God  while  I  have  being. 

My  meditation  of  him  shall  be  sweet ; 

I,  I  will  be  glad  in  the  LORD. 

Sinners  shall  be  consumed  from  the  earth, 

And  the  wicked,  they  shall  be  no  more. 

Bless  thou  the  LORD,  O  my  soul. 
Praise  ye  the  LORD. 


earth  after  his  kind.  (Genesis  i.  24.)  And  God  said,  Let  us 
make  man  in  our  image.  (Genesis  i.  26.) 

Strophe  7.  And  God  said,  Let  the  waters  bring  forth  abun- 
dantly the  moving  creature  that  hath  life.  (Genesis  i.  20.) 

Strophe  8.  The  dependence  of  all  living  things  on  God.  The 
perpetual  expiration  and  renewal  of  life  in  the  mutations  of 
time  and  races.  Dust  thou  art,  and  unto  dust  thou  shalt 
return.  (Genesis  iii.  19.)  He  breathed  into  his  nostrils  the 
breath  of  life.  (Genesis  ii.  7.) 

Strophe  9.  God  rejoices  in  his  creation.  If  he  frowns,  the 
earth  quakes;  if  he  touches  the  hills  with  lightning,  they 
smoke.  Volcanoes  are  not  alluded  to;  they  seem  to  have 
been  unknown  to  the  ancient  Hebrews. 

Strophe  10.  The  delight  excited  by  the  contemplation  of 
God's  works.  Sinners,  the  only  blot  on  this  glorious  scene, 


34 2  JUDA'S  JEWELS 

§  8.  Humboldt  says:  '*  Nature  is  to  the  Hebrew 
poet,  not  a  self-dependent  object,  but  a  work  of 
creation  and  order,  the  living  expression  of  the 
omnipresence  of  the  Divinity  in  the  visible  world." 
Indeed,  the  Hebrew  took  no  account  of  second 
causes;  he  bounded  over  the  immediate  enigmas 
of  nature  to  the  ultimate  solution  in  a  First  Cause. 
He  saw  no  chain  of  cause  and  effect;  there  was 
but  one  link,  God  the  cause,  and  every  phenome- 
non, however  insignificant,  the  direct  effect  of  his 
agency.  The  Scriptures  do  not  deny  the  reality 
and  efficiency  of  second  causes,  but  there  is  little 
or  no  natural  science  in  the  Bible,  as  there  is  little 
or  no  philosophy.  Not  only  are  the  phenomena  of 
nature  attributed  to  the  direct  agency  of  God,  but 
the  movements  of  history  are  also  referred  direct- 
ly to  Jehovah  the  King  of  kings,  and  Lord  of  hosts, 
who  ruleth  the  hearts  and  trieth  the  reins  of  the 
children  of  men. 

This  brings  us  face  to  face  with  the  true  scrip- 
tural doctrine  of  the  Providence  of  God.  It  ad- 
mits the  reality  and  efficiency  of  second  causes, 
both  material  and  mental,  but  denies  that  they  are 


shall  finally  disappear.  Hallelujah!  It  is  observed  in  the  Tal- 
mud that  this  first  hallelujah  in  the  Psalter,  where  only  it  oc- 
curs, is  coupled  with  the  prospect  of  the  destruction  of  the 
wicked. 


L  TRIGS  343 

independent  of  the  Creator  and  Preserver  of  the 
universe.  It  teaches  that  an  infinitely  wise,  good, 
and  powerful  God  is  everywhere  present,  control- 
ling all  events,  great  and  small,  necessary  and 
free,  in  a  way  perfectly  consistent  with  the  nature 
of  his  creatures,  and  with  his  own  infinite  excel- 
lence, so  that  everything  is  ordered  by  his  will, 
and  is  made  to  subserve  his  wise  and  benevolent 
designs.  (Hodge.) 

The  thought  that  God  is  the  Creator  and  Pre- 
server of  all  things,  and  the  Ruler  of  all  events, 
pervades  the  entire  Scriptures.  With  the  recogni- 
tion of  this  relation  comes  the  sense  of  protection 
and  safety.  Since  all  the  issues  of  life  are  in  his 
hands,  who  is  perfect  in  power  and  goodness, 
there  springs  up  an  abiding  confidence  that  all 
things  work  together  for  good  to  them  that  love 
God.  Especially  does  the  voice  of  trust  sound 
through  the  Psalter;  it  is  the  common  keynote  of 
all  its  anthems.  That  this  characteristic  may  be 
fairly  presented,  we  purpose  to  close  our  cita- 
tions with  Psalm  xci.,  which  in  a  peculiar  manner 
emphasizes  the  security  of  those  whose  trust  is  in 
Jehovah. 

The  Talmudists  call  this  psalm  the  Poem  of 
Accidents,  and  seem  to  think  that  it  possessed  a 
talismanic  virtue  to  protect  one  repeating  it  in  time 


344  JUDA  VS  JE  WELS 

of  danger.  It  were  better  to  call  it  the  Psalm  of 
Special  Providences,  and  the  words  of  St.  Paul, 
"  If  God  be  for  us,  who  can  be  against  us?  "  might 
be  taken  for  its  text.  Delitzsch  pronounces  it  not 
only  one  of  the  most  beautiful,  but  one  of  the  most 
original  of  the  sacred  odes.  Indeed,  there  are  sev- 
eral peculiarities  that  should  be  carefully  noted. 
It  is  lyrical  in  form  and  spirit,  but  the  general  tone 
is  didactic,  and  it  therefore  occupies  the  border 
ground  between  these  two  classes  of  poetry.  It  is 
one  of  the  most  clearly  marked  Dialogue  Psalms, 
a  class  pointed  out  by  Bishop  Horsely.  There  are 
two  responsive  voices,  and  an  oracle  at  the  close, 
the  words  of  the  God  of  Providence,  who,  as  it 
were,  interrupts  the  last  speaker.  It  has  reasona- 
bly been  surmised  to  be  a  Pilgrim  Song,  that  is, 
one  to  be  used  by  pilgrims  during  their  journeys 
to  the  festivals  at  Jerusalem.  It  certainly  seems 
to  enumerate  many  of  the  dangers  that  in  an  un- 
settled time,  in  an  unwholesome  season,  and  in 
wild  districts  beset  peaceful  pilgrims.  Accept- 
ing this  view,  we  shall  more  readily  appreciate  its 
meaning  if  we  set  before  our  eyes  a  picture  some- 
what as  follows: 

An  aged  Jew,  one  of  long  experience  in  the 
ways  of  God  to  man,  wise  to  give  instruction,  and 
devout,  a  sage  in  Israel,  is  on  his  way  up  to  Jem- 


LTRICS  345 

salem,  accompanied  by  a  young  man  whose  ears 
are  open  to  the  words  of  the  teacher.  They  have 
journeyed  together  afoot  for  some  days,  have  en- 
camped by  night  together,  and  are  now  passing 
through  a  lonely  wilderness.  They  are  conscious 
of  the  dangers  of  the  way,  but  without  fear  they 
beguile  the  weary  hours  in  holy  conversation.  The 
hoary  sage  speaks  first,  and  sounds  the  theme. 
The  youth  promptly  responds  by  a  declaration  of 
faith.  Then  follows  instruction,  broken  in  the 
midst  by  an  exclamation  of  trust  from  the  youth. 
The  continued  instruction  is  interrupted  by  the 
voice  of  God,  approving  it,  and  making  precious 
promises  to  the  youth  who  has  avowed  his  trust  in 
the  name  of  Jehovah.  With  this  scene  in  mind, 
attend  now  to  the  words  of  the  inspired  sage: 

i 

He  that  dwelleth  in  the  covert  of  the  Most  High, 
Abideth  under  the  shadow  of  the  Almighty. 

I  say :  The  Loifb  is  my  refuge  and  fortress ; 
My  God,  in  him  will  I  trust. 


NOTES. — Strophe  i.  First  voice,  and  response  of  second 
voice. — dwelleth,  makes  his  home. — covert,  or,  secret  place, 
possibly  referring  to  the  Holy  of  Holies,  where  a  devout  man 
might  tropically  be  said  to  dwell  under  the  shadow  of  the 
wings  of  the  cherubim. — abideth,  literally,  passes  the  night. 


JUDA  '5  JB  WELS 

II 
Surely  he,  he  shall  deliver  thee  from  the  snare  of  the 

From  the  noisome  pestilence.  [fowler, 

He  shall  cover  thee  with  his  pinions, 
And  under  his  wings  shalt  thou  be  sheltered. 

His  truth,  a  shield  and  a  buckler ! 

in 
Thou  shalt  not  be  afraid  for  the  terror  by  night, 

For  the  arrow  that  flieth  by  day, 
For  the  pestilence  that  walketh  in  darkness, 

For  the  destruction  that  wasteth  at  noonday. 


Strophe  2.  Again  the  first  voice,  continuing  through  stro- 
phe 4.  It  names  perils  arising  from  enmity  and  craft  of 
men,  and  from  the  noxious  agencies  of  nature. — a  shield  and 
a  buckler,  the  large  scutum,  as  distinguished  from  the  smaller 
clyfeus. 

Strophe  j.  Dangers  seen  and  unseen. — arrow,  may  refer  to 
the  hostile  assaults  of  man;  but  the  parallel  word,  rendered  de- 
struction, more  literally  means  contagion,  so  that  probably  it  is 
God's  arrow — as  in  the  following: 

I  will  spend  mine  arrows  upon  them; 
They  shall  be  burnt  with  hunger, 
And  devoured  with  burning  heat, 
And  with  bitter  destruction. 

(Deuteronomy  xxxii.  23,  24.) 

In  the  Iliad,  book  first,  Apollo  shoots  arrows  of  pestilence  into 
the  Grecian  camp.     But  here — 

The  sun  shall  not  smite  thee  by  day, 
Nor  the  moon  by  night.     (Psalm  cxxi.  6.) 


LYRICS  347 

IV 

A  thousand  shall  fall  at  thy  side, 
And  ten  thousand  at  thy  right  hand ; 

It  shall  not  come  nigh  to  thee. 
Only  with  thine  eyes  shalt  thou  behold, 
And  see  the  reward  of  the  wicked. 

v 
Thou,  O  LORD,  art  my  refuge ! 

Because  thou  hast  made  the  Most  High  thy  habitation, 

There  shall  no  evil  befall  thee, 

And  no  plague  shall  come  nigh  thy  tent. 

VI 

For  he  shall  give  his  angels  charge  over  thee, 

To  keep  thee  in  all  thy  ways ; 
They  shall  bear  thee  up  on  their  hands, 

Lest  thou  dash  thy  foot  against  a  stone. 


Strophe 5.  Line  first  is  an  exclamation  of  the  second  voice; 
the  first  voice  then  resumes,  and  continues  through  strophe  7. 
There  is  much  dispute  about  the  rendering  here;  that  given 
seems  clear,  and  is  grammatically  justifiable. 

Strophe  6.  The  ministry  of  angels.  (See  Hebrews  i.  14.) 
God  promised  Israel  to  send  his  angel,  "to  keep  thee  in  the 
way."  (Exodus  xxiii.  20.)  The  same  word  for  -way  is  used  in 
each  case.  The  promise  is  the  same  in  both,  referring  to  pro- 
tection, rather  than  to  guidance,  and  meaning:  to  protect  thee 
-while  in  the  right  -way.  Satan,  in  Matthew  iv.  6,  and  Luke  iv. 
10,  u,  misquotes  the  words  very  adroitly,  omitting  the  limita- 
tion and  denying  any  with  "lest  ever"  (/i^rrore).  There  is  no 
promise  of  protection  if  one  goes  out  of  the  right  way.  To  do 


34-8  JUDA  'S  JE  WELS 

VII 

Thou  shalt  tread  on  the  lion  and  adder ; 
The  young  lion  and  dragon  shalt  thou  trample  under 

[feet. 

VIII 

Because  he  hath  set  his  love  upon  me, 

Therefore  will  I  deliver  him ; 

I  will  set  him  on  high, 
Because  he  hath  known  my  name. 

IX 

He  shall  call  upon  me,  and  I  will  answer  him, 

I  will  be  with  him  in  trouble, 

I  will  deliver  him  and  honor  him, 
With  long  life  will  I  satisfy  him, 
And  will  shew  him  my  salvation. 


so,  claiming  protection,  is  to  tempt  God,  and  "It  is  written, 
Thou  shalt  not  tempt  the  Lord  thy  God." 

Possibly   when   writing  these  stanzas,  the  psalmist  had  in 
view  the  following: 

Then  shalt  thou  walk  in  thy  way  safely, 

And  thy  foot  shall  not  stumble. 

When  thou  liest  down,  thou  shalt  not  be  afraid; 

Yea,  thou  shalt  lie  down,  and  thy  sleep  shall  be  sweet. 

Be  not  afraid  of  sudden  danger, 

Neither  of  the  desolation  of  the  wicked  when  it  cometh; 

For  the  Lord  shall  be  thy  confidence, 

And  shall  keep  thy  foot  from  being  taken. 

(Proverbs  iii.  23-26.) 

Compare  also  Isaiah  v.  27:  None  shall  be  weary,  nor  stumble 
among  them. 

Strophe  7.  Observe    how    the    second    line    amplifies    the 


L  TRIGS  349 

The  author  is  unknown.  The  LXX.  ascribes 
it  to  David;  a  surmise,  probably,  on  the  ground 
of  certain  Davidic  expressions,  which  may  have 
been  unconscious  imitations.  The  ancient  Rab- 
bins ascribe  it  to  Moses,  and  make  the  youth  here 
instructed  Joshua.  This  is  a  very  captivating  con- 
jecture, but  seems  to  have  no  ground  except  that 
the  psalm  follows  anonymously  Psalm  xc.  of  Mo- 
ses,1 and  that  the  first  line  of  one  is  similar  to 
that  of  the  other.  But  this  correspondence  may 
have  determined  the  position  in  the  Psalter,  and 
a  similarity  of  introductory  lines  is  a  ground  too 
weak  for  fixing  authorship.  There  are,  however, 
verbal  coincidences  with  Moses's  Song,  and  with 
his  Blessing;  but  these  also  may  have  been  un- 
conscious imitations.  The  psalm  very  closely  re- 
sembles Job  v.  17—23.  Professor  Plumptre  calls  it 


thought  at  every  point,  partially  inverting  the  order.  Open 
violence  and  secret  malignity  are  here  figured.  Behold,  I  give 
you  power  to  tread  on  serpents  and  scorpions.  (Luke  x.  19.) 
The  lion,  the  stone,  the  ways,  the  tent,  the  exposure  by  day  and 
by  night,  all  comport  with  the  idea  of  a  pilgrimage.  I  have 
ventured  to  express  by  a  blank  line  the  view  that  this  stanza  is 
incomplete,  being  interrupted  by  what  follows. 

Strophes  8  and  9.  The  Bath  kol.  The  voice  of  God  is  heard, 
endorsing  the  words  of  the  sage  in  an  address  to  him  con- 
cerning his  companion.  Its  literalness  and  dignified  simplicity 
contrast  finely  with  the  highly  tropical  and  ornate  character  of 
the  preceding  portions. 


lit  was  a  canon  w;th  the  Rabbins  that  a  title  ascribing  au- 
thorship applied  not  only  to  the  psalm  to  which  it  was  prefixed, 
but  also  to  all  the  untitled  psalms  which  immediately  followed 
it  in  the  Psalter. 


350  JUDA  'S  JB  WELS 

"  an  echo,  verse  by  verse  almost,  of  the  words  in 
which  Eliphaz  the  Temanite  describes  the  good 
man's  life." 

Ewald  fixes  the  date  of  composition  in  the  time 
of  Antiochus  Epiphanes,  four  hundred  years  after 
the  Captivity;  Hitzig  gives  it  a  similar  date,  162 
B.C.  These  are  mere  guesses.  Certain  linguistic 
peculiarities  point  to  a  post-Solomonic  age.  One 
well-supported  view  is  that  the  ten  anonymous 
psalms,  xci.— c.,  have  a  mutual  connection,  a  com- 
mon authorship,1  and  a  common  dependence  on 
the  later  prophecies  of  Isaiah ;  for  there  are  strik- 
ing coincidences  in  the  subject-matter,  style,  and 
phraseology  with  each  other,  and  with  these 
prophecies.  (Elliott. )  It  does  not  follow  that 
this  series  was  composed  by  Isaiah,  as  some  have 
supposed ;  but  we  may  infer  with  some  confidence 
that  the  date  of  composition  is  in  the  time  of  Heze- 
kiah,  whose  accession  to  the  throne  may  have 
formed  the  historical  groundwork  of  the  remark- 
able revival  of  the  regal  prophecies,  both  in  the 
writings  of  Isaiah  and  in  this  series  of  psalms.  In 
any  case  there  seem  to  be  good  grounds  for  as- 
signing a  date  earlier  than  that  of  the  Captivity. 

The  Emperor  Alexander  I.  of  Russia  is  said  to 
have  been  awakened  by  means  of  this  psalm.  The 
Countess  Tolstoj  gave  it  to  him  in  writing  on  the 
evening  before  his  march  against  Napoleon  in  the 
year  1812.  This  was  presenting  apples  of  gold  in 
a  basket  of  silver;  for,  besides  the  striking  and 
graceful  appropriateness  of  her  gift,  it  is  most 
precious  truth,  conveyed  in  a  beautifully  wrought 
artistic  form. 


i  Early  Jews  of  the  Christian  era  ascribe  the  authorship  of 
Psalm  xcii.  to  Adam. 


LYRICS  351 

§  9.  The  Monarchy  opened  with  the  Psalms  of 
David;  it  closed  with  the  Lamentations  of  Jere- 
miah. We  have  here  a  series  of  elegies,  the  most 
pronounced  in  the  Hebrew  literature.1  They  con- 
stitute the  funeral  dirge  of  the  theocracy,  and  of 
the  holy  city.  Patriotism  finds  nowhere  a  more 
intense  expression,  and  the  sorrows  of  bereave- 
ment have  no  more  passionate  language.  "  Every 
letter  is  written  with  a  tear,  every  word  is  the  sob 
of  a  broken  heart."  The  life  of  the  mourner  had 
been  stormy,  and  when  it  finally  dissolved  in  tears 
his  genius  gathered  into  one  harmonious  composi- 
tion the  spirit  and  truth  of  his  eloquent  prophecies, 
to  remain  forever  the  crown  and  glory  of  his  min- 
istry. 

The  overthrow  of  the  Monarchy  by  eastern 
Babylon,  and  the  exile  that  followed,  were  typi- 
cal of  that  greater  overthrow  by  western  Babylon, 
and  of  the  longer  exile  not  yet  at  end.  The  scat- 
tered nation,  whose  chief  bond  is  its  ancient  lit- 
erature, keeps  alive  a  patriotic  fervor  by  fondly 
dwelling  on  its  past  glories,  and  by  lamenting  its 
desolation  in  the  wailing  of  these  elegies.  They 
are  read  throughout  the  world,  year  after  year  and 
century  after  century,  in  the  month  Ab  (July), 

1  Their  strophic  structure  has  already  been  noted.  See 
page  274. 


35 2  JU DA'S  JEWELS 

with  fasting  and  weeping,  by  the  people  who  are 
again  wandering  in  prolonged  exile,  finding  a 
home  nowhere,  a  grave  everywhere;  a  people 
whose  scepter  has  departed,  but  who  have  given 
songs  to  the  world. 

How  hath  the  Lord  covered  with  a  cloud  in  his  anger 

the  daughter  of  Zion  ! 
He  from  heaven  hath  cast  down  to  the  ground 

the  beauty  of  Israel, 
And  hath  not  remembered  his  footstool  in  all 

the  day  of  his  wrath. 


"  O  land  of  the  godly,  how  lone  and  deserted ! 

Thy  tribes  wander  friendless,  thy  glory  is  gone. 
Thy  prophets  are  silent,  their  glory  departed, 

And  hushed  is  the  voice  of  the  monarch  of  song. 

"  No  longer  the  sounds  of  rejoicing  and  gladness, 
No  longer  the  voice  of  thy  harp  thrills  the  ear ; 

Thy  mirth  is  departed,  thy  joy  changed  to  sadness, 
Thy  relic  is  ruin,  thy  fate  is  despair." 


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